While Attorney General Josh Shapiro unveils his plan to support PA workers and grow our Commonwealth, the Republican candidates for Governor’ anti-labor agenda is crystal clear and they couldn’t be more out-of-touch.
PENNSYLVANIA — While Attorney General Josh Shapiro is unveiling his plan today to expand the Commonwealth’s workforce and give workers more opportunities to succeed, Republican candidates for Governor are pushing an agenda that would hurt our workers.
Let’s recap some of “Trump Primary” candidates’ disastrous records that make it clear they would be wrong for Pennsylvania’s workers:
Doug Mastriano:
Doug Mastriano opposed measures to help Pennsylvania workers earn a fair wage for their work. He has openly suggested that he opposes all minimum wage laws, was one of only seven lawmakers who voted against raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $9.50 an hour, and cosponsored a bill to gut prevailing wages that ensure fair pay for the workers who build our roads, schools and other public projects.
Lou Barletta:
As a gubernatorial candidate, Lou Barletta tried to dodge questions about his anti-labor agenda. However, he can’t outrun his long record that earned him an abysmal 31 percent lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO. His record extends all the way back in 2000 where as Mayor of Hazleton, Barletta bragged about throwing out contracts with unions and setting a single day record for the number of anti-union grievances filed against him.
Dave White:
No matter how he spins it, Dave White is just as anti-worker as the rest of the GOP field. During a meeting with an extremist anti-government group, White said if elected, he would “sign a paycheck protection bill into law,” which would silence organized labor and — ultimately — undermine the ability of workers to organize and fight for better pay and benefits. In addition, White opposed vital economic relief to help Pennsylvania small businesses and families rebound after the pandemic, calling the American Rescue Plan “terrible” and “ridiculous” — even though he had no problem accepting similar relief for himself.
Bill McSwain:
Bill McSwain has made his distaste of workers’ rights public — and has often boasted about his dangerous anti-worker agenda. Not only has McSwain been a vocal opponent of unions, he also has even said that he “would definitely consider” making Pennsylvania a so-called right-to-work state and “that right to work has been a good thing in a lot of other states.” In reality, right-to-work laws would lower wages for workers and make it less likely that workers would have employer-sponsored benefits like health care. Furthermore, McSwain wants to take Pennsylvania back to the past where workers had less rights and less dignity, as he made clear when he commented, “I would do everything possible to make sure that Janus is implemented [in Pennsylvania],” referring to the Supreme Court decision which dealt a huge blow to workers’ rights.
Jake Corman:
Throughout Jake Corman’s 23 years in Harrisburg, he’s built a dangerous record undermining labor rights. Corman has voted for legislation called an “attack on unions” because the amendment would ban payroll deductions of school employees’ union dues, voted for a bill that looked “suspiciously like a union busting effort” and would have required unions to collect dues directly from members, and voted to pass a bill that the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO classified as “anti-worker” and a “violation of the first amendment rights of firefighters, teachers, police officers, and public service workers.”
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