Let’s thank our workers – and support them

On Monday, we will celebrate Labor Day, which commemorates the struggles and triumphs of the American labor movement.

This year, the observance seems particularly meaningful. Workers on the front lines have been doing an incredible job to protect us from COVID-19 and to make sure we have supplies to get us through this challenging time.

Health care providers, grocery store workers, delivery drivers, utility workers, emergency responders and countless others are stepping up to keep us safe and healthy, and I am incredibly grateful for their efforts.

But these unprecedented circumstances have been a reminder that while many workers have unions looking out for their safety, far too many in Pennsylvania do not. COVID-19 has exposed the gross inequities within our workplaces and the dangers that too many workers are exposed to.

We must work to fix these problems. That’s why I, along with my colleagues Reps. David Delloso, Joe Ciresi, Jennifer O’Mara and Steve Malagari, have introduced H.B. 2289 – the PA Protecting the Right to Organize (or PA PRO) Act.

This bill would provide for a transformational strengthening of worker safeguards and enhancement of organizing rights. We need to ensure all Pennsylvania workers have the ability to fight for fair wages and a safe workplace.

Weeks of staying home and quarantining have given many people a newfound appreciation for those working for us. It’s important to say thank you, but it’s even more important to reinforce our gratitude with concrete action that will support them. The PA PRO Act will do that, and I will continue to fight for hard-working Pennsylvanians.