DAILY GRINDER: Still Fighting ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in PA Senate Race
A group called ‘Defending the Force’ has a new radio ad out hitting U.S. Senator Bob Casey on his vote to eliminate ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t tell’ back in 2010. The ad goes, in part: “Casey wasn’t there for our troops. Instead, Casey was one of the key Democrats who voted to overturn Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which restricts the expression of...
Continue Reading
Nutter, Other PA Mayors Send Open Letter to Mitt Romney
In light of a Washington Post report published on Friday detailing Mitt Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital — specifically, its role in outsourcing American jobs overseas — five Pennsylvania mayors are lashing out. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Allentown Mayor Ed Pawloski, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott and Reading Mayor...
Continue Reading
DAILY GRINDER: $1.6 Million Settlement in Contaminated Water Fracking Case
So you're saying this isn't Perrier? Coulda fooled me. Three northeastern Pennsylvania families have reached a $1.6 million settlement with Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy over contaminating their water wells and forcing them to go somewhere else. It’s a good chunk of change, but one of the families say it’s not much considering they have to leave...
Continue Reading
Blacks Disproportionately Affected by Philly Unemployment Rate
The national unemployment rate is at 8.3 percent. And so is Philadelphia’s. While that may come off as very comme si comme sa, it helps to note that the city’s rate is half a point higher than the state’s, which stands at 7.6 percent. According to a report at Loop 21, this disparity, along with the declining number of government jobs in the state—and...
Continue ReadingHouse GOP Jobs Plan: Cuts, Marcellus Shale, Tort Reform
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai held a press conference at 2 p.m. today with regard to the job climate in Pennsylvania. During the conference, which was livestreamed on the GOP House’s Facebook page (Thanks guys!), Turzai and others outlined their main ideas, which include a laundry-list of small government initiatives for which many have been...
Continue Reading
PA House GOP Says Will Finally Focus on Jobs–Monday
It’s been a long year and some. After Pennsylvania Republican Party swept into control of both Legislative bodies and the governorship with the promise of restoring more Pennsylvania jobs, they began their session of hateful rule in January 2011. But instead of a Keystone economic boost, they’ve mainly focused on social issues, voter suppression, cutting...
Continue Reading‘Ban the Box’ Officially a Thing
Congratulations, career criminals. Your potential future employers will no longer ask you if you’ve ever been convicted of a crime before your first interview in Philadelphia. After that, you’re on your own. Because a law called ‘Ban the box’ — which essentially bans companies in the city from requiring applicants to check the box in...
Continue Reading
Rally for Jobs, Student Debt Forgiveness Puts Focus on Interrelated Issues at Occupy Philly
Photos by Matthew Petrillo Occupy Philly demonstrators, activists with the P.E.A.C.E. Coalition (Philadelphia Economic Advancement CollectivE), members of the Philadelphia branch of the socialist Workers World Party and others met in Dilworth Plaza at 11am today for a Jobs and Student Debt Forgiveness rally. The plan: Hit the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, the...
Continue Reading‘English-Only is Not Giving Us One More Job’: Rep. Babette Josephs Says Republicans Fiddle While Pennsylvania Burns
It’s estimated 14,000 jobs have left Pennsylvania since Governor Tom Corbett has come into office. Half of 20-something Philadelphians are unemployed, one-in-five children lives in poverty in the greater region and the city of Reading was just listed as the worst poverty stricken city in the country. Not that we’re saying Corbett is to blame. At least...
Continue Reading
Philly Jobs by the Numbers
Pew sends us these awesome emails from time to time. They feature various statistics from various sources (Center City District, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, others) and their own research about Philadelphia issues. Here’s a roundup of what some of the latest numbers say: 644,100: Philly’s labor force in July. 574,600: Number of Philadelphians...
Continue Reading
