– The following letter in opposition to NB 1722 was sent to every PA Legislator in the Philadelphia Delegation:

On behalf of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, I write to you to once again express the Federation’s vehement opposition to House Bill 1722. When I heard that there has been some recent movement surrounding this bill in the House, I was left to wonder how such a bill could even be discussed when Philadelphia’s schools are under such a state of duress. Students go to school every day in under-resourced schools and classrooms across the city, and their teachers are committed to providing them with the very best. However, teachers are not capable of producing text books, computers, counselors, and so much more that’s missing. And yet, instead of focusing on the real issue at hand—Governor Corbett’s more than $1 Billion dollars in education funding cuts across the Commonwealth—members of the House think it prudent to discuss seniority.

Often times, we hear anecdotal accounts of a child losing his or her favorite teacher “because of seniority”. Let me be very clear: no one has ever lost a teacher because of seniority. Teachers are cut from schools due to budget shortfalls. And it just so happens that under Governor Corbett’s watch, we have had a massive, unprecedented shortfall—one that directly caused the layoffs of nearly 4,000 public school employees in Philadelphia last June. Again, let me reiterate: seniority is not the problem. Budget cuts are.

When laying off 4,000 staff members in a school district, I can understand that some politicians may look for ways to justify it, to make it seem less immoral. They’d like to say, “Well, we laid off the bad teachers!” When it comes down to it, however, there simply is no morality in laying off 4,000 people committed to serving Philadelphia’s youth. That is why my members and I have been advocating for funding day in and day out throughout this crisis.

With the new evaluation system being implemented (again- another unfunded mandate from the state), and the notion that this brand new system (being forced upon under-resourced schools) will be tied to layoffs is simply unconscionable. We have excellent teachers across the district, and all of them are saying the same thing—they simply cannot do the best for our children under the current budgetary constraints. Instead of addressing this, we will implement a new evaluation system to not only rate those teachers but then determine their layoff status?

The Federation is not looking to “protect bad teachers” via our position on seniority.

We look to support struggling educators, through various means—including our PFT/School District Collaboration, Peer Assistance and Review (PAR). Through the PAR program, we have been able to work to help struggling teachers improve their practice. If, at the end of a period of intensive interventions, that teacher has not made the appropriate gains, he or she will be terminated. This is the fair and moral way of ensuring that all students in Philadelphia have great teachers.

Using a budget crisis as an excuse for union busting and blaming seniority for the dire financial straits of Philadelphia’s school system is immoral. It is a dishonest characterization of my hardworking members, and it is an insulting affront on all Philadelphians to assume that they will believe that Governor Corbett’s massive budget shortfalls could be fixed by doing away with seniority.

I urge you, as a member of the Philadelphia delegation, to ensure that Philadelphia’s children are protected and that their schools are funded. Let’s not waste one more critical moment entertaining the idea that seniority is the root cause of our financial straits.

Seniority has never caused a layoff. Governor Corbett’s cuts, however, have caused thousands.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Kind Regards,

JERRY T. JORDAN
President

Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/philadelphia-federation-of-teachers/letter-from-pft-president-jerry-jordan-to-the-philadelphia-delegation-in-harrisb/837898999573512

By Holly Otterbein

– More than 50,000 Pennsylvania residents have lost unemployment benefits since last summer because they failed to meet a new state requirement to register on a job-listings website.

Advocates for the unemployed attribute the problem to technical errors by the state, the nation’s digital divide, and a lack of awareness of the new rule.

Under the law, which the General Assembly approved in 2011 and the state began enforcing in August 2013, those who receive unemployment compensation must sign up for the state-run jobgateway.pa.gov within 30 days. State officials said the regulation would help more unemployed Pennsylvanians find work.

Between September 2013 and April, unemployment benefits were halted for about 51,200 applicants — or roughly one in 10 — who did not enroll in time, according to data obtained by WHYY.

Pennsylvania officials said they do not know how long the average person has stopped receiving benefits. Sharon Dietrich, an attorney at the Philadelphia-based nonprofit Community Legal Services, estimated it has been days and even weeks.

“That could be the difference between being able to pay the rent and not, facing a utilities cutoff or eviction notice or not, or even being able to adequately feed your family,” she said.

Dietrich said some people are not signing up for the site right away because they don’t have Internet access or are computer-illiterate.

“We live in a world in which there still is quite a digital divide,” she said. “I think a lot of people who implement public benefits programs don’t grasp [that].”

Difficulties and some progress

The state notifies all unemployment compensation recipients that they must sign up for the jobs site through several mailings, according to Sara Goulet, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor and Industry. If they apply for benefits over the phone, she said, they are also informed of the rule then.

Philadelphia resident Kea Hollimon, 28, said that when she applied for unemployment compensation on the phone last year, no one told her she needed to register on the jobs site. She only became aware of the requirement once she stopped receiving unemployment benefits, she said.

Hollimon does not have Internet access at home and tried to sign up on her mobile phone, but said it was difficult.

“It was just frustrating,” she said. “I felt like I’m trying to do this, but I’m still being stopped.”

Eventually, she signed up on the jobs site at a brick-and-mortar CareerLink, a state facility that provides free employment services.

Goulet, the Labor and Industry spokeswoman, said the state has since revamped its jobs site so it is more user-friendly. For instance, it is now easier for applicants to tell that they have finished enrolling, she said.

“We want to make it as simple as possible for people so they’re not going for any period of time without benefits,” said Goulet. “If they’re eligible for them, we want them to receive them. But we want to make it as easy for them to also get re-employed.”

Advocates for the unemployed said some Spanish-speaking applicants did not know about the new requirement because of a technical problem that has resulted in the state sending them materials in English.

Language, location remain issues

Goulet confirmed that Spanish-speaking residents who apply for unemployment benefits online do not receive documents in Spanish. If they apply on the phone, however, she said they get Spanish materials. She blamed the mix-up on an “IT issue,” and said the state is working to fix it.

If residents don’t have Internet access at home, Goulet said they can register on the jobs site at one of the state’s 67 CareerLink centers.

That works better in more populated areas, however. Almost 15 percent of the state’s counties do not have a CareerLink.

Source: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/69300-50000-lose-jobless-benefits-for-not-signing-up-on-pa-employment-site-?linktype=hp_impact

By Jared Shelly

– Commuters expressed a collective sigh of relief Monday morning, as SEPTA’s Regional Rail trains were running on schedule.

A weekend strike by 400 workers was short-lived after President Barack Obama forced the creation of a presidential emergency board to mediate the contract dispute between SEPTA and its engineers and electricians unions. Obama called for “a swift and smooth resolution” and his actions mean that the unions will not be able to strike until the PEB expires in another 240 days.

But does that just mean the unions will strike in February? The two sides have 30 days to submit a report to Obama’s board their plans for resolving the dispute. Then the mediation will continue.

SEPTA spokesperson Jerri Williams still used some strong rhetoric in a statement released Monday morning. After detailing how it has offered the unions increased pay ($3 per hour to IBEW and $2.60 per hour to BLET), Williams said union leadership “made it abundantly clear that they wanted to go on strike.” That was after SEPTA asked the union for a two-week extension.

But Terry Gallagher, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, touted the president’s intervention, saying it was “what we were waiting for.”

Does that mean both sides will negotiate in good faith? We’ll have to wait and see.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/morning_roundup/2014/06/septas-trains-rolling-againbut-labor-dispute-far.html

We would like to wish all the fathers of the labor movement, who work hard and dedicate your lives everyday to standing up for what you believe in so that your children and future generations will have a better life, a Very Happy Father’s Day!

We would also like to remember our forefathers and those who are no longer with us who made it possible for us to enjoy the privileges we share and to continue the fight in their honor!

You are an inspiration to us all!

In Solidarity!

PhillyLabor.com

By Emma Jacobs

– All thirteen SEPTA Regional Rail lines have stopped operating due to a labor stoppage.

The 220 members of the Brotherhood of Local Engineers and Trainmen and the 210 members of Electrical Workers Local 744 walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

All city and suburban buses, trollies, subway service and the Norristown High Speed Line will continue to operate.

Saturday marked the expiration of a cooling off period mandated by the federal Railway Labor Act.

According to a statement released by SEPTA spokesperson, Jerri Williams, SEPTA offered to extend the cooling off period for a period of two weeks under existing rates of pay and working conditions. Representatives of the BLET and the IBEW rejected the offer.

The two unions have been working without a contract for several years while exhausting mediation requirements.

SEPTA plans to impose wage increases that were a part of its latest contract offer, of 11.6 percent for electrical workers and 8.5 percent for engineers, saying it seeks terms consistent with its other labor agreements.

The union had asked for pay increases to be retroactive and other changes to SEPTA’s proffered contract.

It has been a long time since the last regional rail shutdown, which took place in 1983 and lasted 108 days.

In this case, Pennsylvania Tom Corbett could still request the appointment of a Presidential Emergency Board, which would delay a work stoppage for 240 days.

60,000 commuters rely on SEPTA’s regional rail lines.

Out of what SEPTA spokeswoman called an “abundance of caution,” SEPTA began unrolling contingency plans this week in case of a strike, including plans to add additional trains and buses on operational lines and expanding parking outside stations around the city’s periphery.

Williams cautioned that rush hour service is already at capacity. “Therefore, we encourage passengers to flex their work schedules by coming to work earlier or later than their normal shifts.”

PennDOT spokesman Gene Blaum said that PennDOT will adjust work crew schedules on major throughways to allow for longer commute times.

– SEPTA’s Service Interruption Plan is now available online, including parking and operational services: http://www.septa.org/service/service-interruption/rail.html
– Alternate service planner by station: http://www.septa.org/stations/rail/stations.shtml

Source: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/69231-no-deal-septa-regional-rail-workers-announce-strike?linktype=hp_impact