Media Mentions
Workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are on strike ‘until we get the contract we deserve’
Unionised workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) began a strike against the museum today (26 September). This is the latest action that the museum’s union has launched since contract negotiations began in the fall of 2020. Over 100 members of the union, which...
Philadelphia Museum of Art workers strike, again
Workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art are on strike, forming a picket line early Monday morning at the museum’s North Entrance on Kelly Drive. The “wall-to-wall” union of about 180 workers from nearly every department at the museum has been negotiating for its...
Philadelphia Museum of Art Workers Go on Strike Indefinitely
Workers at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) went on strike today, September 26, as nearly two years of union negotiations have failed to yield a contract. The PMA Union staged a one-day warning strike on September 16, but now, workers say they are striking...
Federal Court rebukes Pennsylvania Senators for challenge to Delaware River ban on fracking
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a legal challenge to a Delaware River Basin Commission ban on fracking operations within the Delaware River Basin. The challenge to the ban was filed by State Sens....
Criminal justice reform promises to remove barriers, clean slates
Knowing that Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system hasn’t always been just, Governor Tom Wolf took office with a goal to limit the negative consequences of contact with the system that can follow a Pennsylvanian for a lifetime. At the NoMo Foundation in Philadelphia...
Appeal To Delaware River Basin Fracking Ban Thrown Out By Judge
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third District threw out an appeal on Friday that contested the Delaware River Basin Commission’s ban on fracking. The appeal was dismissed for a lack of standing after being heard by a panel of three circuit judges. The appeal was...
Gov. Wolf’s Criminal Justice Reform Legacy: Removed Barriers, Clean Slates, and Opportunities for Success
Knowing that Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system hasn’t always been just, Governor Tom Wolf took office with a goal to limit the negative consequences of contact with the system that can follow a Pennsylvanian for a lifetime. At the NoMo Foundation in Philadelphia...
State, Local Lawmakers Attack ‘Politically Motivated’ Effort to Remove Progressive Philly DA – Call It ‘Stunt’
PHILADELPHIA, PA – Civic leaders and elected officials rallied here Wednesday on behalf of embattled, progressive District Attorney Larry Krasner, calling the effort to remove the prosecutor from office by the Pennsylvania House “unconstitutional and politically...
People’s Action and national coalition launch Lead Together, new American Rescue Plan website and resource hub for local governments and community-based organizations
New York, N.Y.— On September 8, 2022, a diverse coalition of political advocacy and membership-based organizations released Lead Together, a new website and hub for community organizers securing American Rescue Plan funds for those who need it most. The site serves as...
State Sen. Nikil Saval: We Can Collaborate to Meet Deep Needs
n 2020, organizer Nikil Saval ran for office on a platform that included housing rights and a Green New Deal for Pennsylvania, and defeated a powerful Democratic State Senator. Less than two years later, Sen. Saval seized on the opening created by the American Rescue...
Building Schools Back Better
Something unexpected happened in Pennsylvania politics recently. A leftist state senator got bi-partisan support from archconservatives in one of the most ideologically divided states in the country. Though the breakthrough didn’t happen in the arena of education...
Why Does Building Inspection Fail Tenants? A Professor Explains
In a housing crisis, much of the attention goes to keeping people housed, building new housing and keeping that housing affordable. But the deteriorating quality of much urban housing – and the impact this can have on the day to day lives of tenants – often fails to...
Philadelphia Museum of Art workers authorize strike
Members of a union representing staff at the Philadelphia Museum of Art authorized a strike in a near-unanimous vote Tuesday night. Local 397, part of AFSCME District Council 47, has been negotiating its first contract with the institution’s administrators since the...
Tree clearing for FDR park wetland sparks outrage
The renovation of a popular park in South Philadelphia is attracting renewed criticism over the cutting down of trees. The multi-year, $250 million transformation of FDR park kicked off this spring with the groundbreaking of a new welcome center. The city recently...
‘A one-stop shop for home repairs:’ Nikil Saval talks up Dems’ $125M new program
One of the biggest victories for both Democrats and Republicans in this year’s state budget was the inclusion of a $125 million home repair program – better known as the Whole-Home Repair Program – that will provide grants of up to $50,000 for people to repair,...
Introducing Local 80, a new Philly union focused on organizing coffee shop floors
A new local union connected to Philadelphia’s branch of Workers United is aiming to bring positive change to the city’s food service industry. Called Local 80, its goal is to aid burgeoning union campaigns throughout the city, and they’re fielding plenty of interest....
Disabled in the workforce: How a local Philly organization is training a generation of workers
Ms. Jane’s first work assessment with SpArc Philadelphia begins in the afternoon at a volunteer organization in Northeast Philly, about an hour and a half from Center City. They prepare meals for those in need, and albeit a small operation, the organization welcomes a...
Your View: Wealthy use race, gender and religion to divide working class
For years, we’ve watched elected leaders sow division in our state. They’ve tried to prevent LGBTQ kids from playing sports. They’ve attacked school curricula that teach our kids about the long struggle for racial equity in our country. Most recently, they held up our...
Program to disperse grants, loans of up to $50K to homeowners, landlords in county
As part of this year’s budget, Pennsylvania legislators included a new funding source to benefit the state’s housing market while maintaining the status quo in other areas. Folded into the state government’s budget this year came a new program, the Whole Home Repairs...
PA Lawmakers Celebrate New Program to Tackle Affordable Housing Crisis
HARRISBURG, Pa. (ErieNewsNow) - This afternoon in Philadelphia, lawmakers and housing advocates celebrated $375 million in new investments to address the affordable housing crisis in this year’s budget. Pennsylvania has some of the oldest homes in the entire country....
PA Lawmakers Celebrate New Program to Tackle Affordable Housing Crisis
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WENY) - This afternoon in Philadelphia, lawmakers and housing advocates celebrated $375 million in new investments to address the affordable housing crisis in this year’s budget. Pennsylvania has some of the oldest homes in the entire country....
New grant adds $375 million in state funds to target repair of crumbling homes in Pa.
Elected officials took a victory lap in Wynnefield for a hard fought win in Harrisburg. State Sen. Vincent Hughes drove home the point that there is more money in the state budget than ever before for housing assistance. “The state of Pennsylvania was spending $55...
Sealing the Cracks in Weatherization and Home Repair
High utility bills and years of deferred maintenance have forced many low-income homeowners and renters in Pennsylvania to live with lead paint, drafty windows, leaky roofs, exposed wiring, mold, and other health hazards. Many residents endure these conditions because...
Pennsylvania – Investments to Address Housing Crisis
Governor Tom Wolf was joined by members of the General Assembly, housing advocates, and stakeholders in Philadelphia to celebrate the critical $375 million investment in the 2022-23 budget addressing the affordable housing crisis. “Safe, affordable housing is...
Gov. Wolf, General Assembly Celebrate Critical Investments to Address Affordable Housing Crisis
Today, Governor Tom Wolf was joined by members of the General Assembly, housing advocates and stakeholders in Philadelphia to celebrate the critical $375 million investment in the 2022-23 budget addressing the affordable housing crisis. “Safe, affordable housing is...
How Pennsylvania’s New Whole Home Repair Program Can Help You
Pennsylvanians can soon access state assistance to pay for needed home repairs thanks to a new program. Included in the state’s 2022-23 budget is $125 million for the Whole Home Repair Program, which is geared toward helping lower to middle-income residents who might...
Home repair program funded in budget
tate Sen. Nikil Saval announced a $125 million appropriation in Pennsylvania’s 2022–23 budget to establish his Whole-Home Repairs Program. Saval issued the following statement: “Every person has a right to a home that is safe — a home that is healthy. But right now,...
Sealing the Cracks in Weatherization and Home Repair
High utility bills and years of deferred maintenance have forced many low-income homeowners and renters in Pennsylvania to live with lead paint, drafty windows, leaky roofs, exposed wiring, mold, and other health hazards. Many residents endure these conditions because...
Local officials celebrate passage of state home repair program
The passage of the bipartisan Whole-Home Repair program is “what democracy looks like,” said state Rep. Sara Innamorato. “It’s not just about showing up and voting. It’s about making sure that you stay engaged with your community and your elected officials,” said Ms....
Energy bills are high and not coming down soon. Here are ways to cut costs.
If you haven’t examined your monthly utility bill lately, brace for a shock when the cost of air-conditioning comes due in the next few weeks. If the AC bill doesn’t raise your pulse, your heating tab next January might, assuming that global energy markets remain...
Pennsylvania home repair law would provide new funding, programs
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill that would “address habitability concerns in owner-occupied and rental units, measures to improve energy or water efficiency and make units accessible for individuals with disabilities, and...
The Art of the Deal
This time the hosts interview Pennsylvania state Senator Nikil Saval about the remarkable fact that he got a climate and affordable housing bill through a Republican-controlled legislature. What's up with that? Other stuff mentioned in the episode: the previous...
Urban Renewal Redux? City Goes After More Tax Dollars for Demolition
Philadelphia’s realty transfer tax, already one of the highest in the nation, will soon include a new fee. Last month City Council unanimously passed a bill that would add an additional $15 fee onto each transfer of real estate or recording of a deed or mortgage in...
Stop obsessing over empty offices. Philly could have a future as a ‘Bedroom City.’
In the two-plus years since the pandemic emptied America’s office towers, there have been dozens of media reports speculating about the future of downtowns. This column isn’t one of them. It should be obvious by now that desk workers will never again fill the trophy...
Starbucks workers strike at Center City store after successful union drive
Starbucks workers at the coffeeshop on 12th and Market streets in Center City began a 24-hour strike Friday morning. The employees say they've faced intimidation, retaliation and poor working conditions since they voted to unionize last month and want the store's...
Philadelphia has become a ‘sanctuary city’ for abortion access, but it might not stay that way
ountless elected officials from Philadelphia spoke out after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, and several organized or attended protests in defense of continued abortion access. Reacting to the ruling in late June, state Sen. Nikil Saval...
Bipartisanship in Harrisburg: Saval, Solomon and smart housing policy
America is in the grips of a nationwide housing shortage that totals about 3.8 million housing units. Last week, the New York Times published an informative analysis showing how this problem has moved beyond just the big cost-crisis metros on the coasts, and now...
A key US energy efficiency program has a major flaw — and Pennsylvania is trying to fix it
Last year, Congress allocated $3.5 billion over five years to a little-known federal program designed to help low-income households pay for energy efficiency upgrades like attic insulation, new windows, and energy-saving appliances. Called the Weatherization...
‘Whole Home Repair’ law is proof lawmakers can work together when they want to |
In spite of it happening a week late and controversies arising about a number of funding issues, the Pennsylvania General Assembly once again managed to pass a budget. As always there was some good, some bad, and some ugly in the process. Perhaps the worst of the bad...
Political Notebook: State deal nets millions for homeowners, renters
Struggling homeowners and renters could get some financial relief under the newly passed state budget, with over $250 million set for tax rebates and a home repair program. A later-than-expected state budget — buoyed by pandemic-era federal stimulus money — included...