Tartaglione: U.C. Temporary Funding Fix Approved by Governor

Harrisburg – April 25, 2017 – A $15 million transfer to temporarily aid the processing of unemployment compensation claims, remove backlogs and result in the hiring of 200 workers laid off last year was signed into law as Act 1 yesterday afternoon by Gov. Tom Wolf, state Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) said today.

Tartaglione, who serves as Democratic chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, was cited by the governor along with other labor committee leaders for their work in moving the measure (Senate Bill 250) through the General Assembly.

The funding imbroglio that imperiled the claims system, created delays, closed call centers and prompted the furloughing of 500 call center workers in December emerged when Republican lawmakers questioned how prior funding transfers to Service and Infrastructure Improvement Fund (SIIF) were used.y

Tartaglione issued the following statement concerning the temporary funding fix that was approved by the governor:

“The $15 million in temporary funding will result in the rehiring of 200 workers, reduce call times and improve access to the claims system. However, all recognize that this is a short-term solution and that we all need to get back to work ensuring that resources are available to process claims and help those who are unemployed over the long haul.

“For too long, the system was in flux because of the funding issue and men and women who lost their jobs had to overcome even higher obstacles to access benefits. We cannot let this situation happen again. That’s why I am pleased that we are working on a long-term fix in a bipartisan way.”

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released his audit of SIIF today. He indicated that while improvements were made to the system, there was a failure to use proper accounting methods and oversight was lacking. His audit found that additional state funds are needed to keep the U.C. call centers operational and working at acceptable levels.

He said the state Department of Labor and Industry indicated it needed $159.5 million in funds over the next four years to maintain service and modernize. He noted that during the SIIF funding impasse, there were long delays and busy signals on 99.3 percent of the calls into call centers.

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Tartaglione: Hearing on U.C. Changes Impacting Seasonal Workers Productive

Harrisburg – Oct. 7, 2015 – At a recent hearing of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, members learned first-hand about the impact of recent changes in the unemployment compensation system as it applied to seasonal workers, according to state Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia).

Tartaglione said the hearing, which was held on Oct. 6 at Philadelphia City Hall, included testimony from Kathy Manderino, the state secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry, AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale, representatives of various labor unions, legal services, law firms and employment consultants.

“The labor committee has held hearings on the effect of changes to the unemployment compensation system that involve how seasonal workers are treated,” Tartaglione said.   “These hearings provide members with insight into how seasonal workers are now handled in the unemployment system as a result of changes that were recently signed into law.”

Tartaglione said that Act 6 and Act 60 alterations imposed changes in wage calculations for seasonal workers.  As a result of Act 6 and Act 60 changes, she said that an estimated 48,000 workers are ineligible for unemployment compensation benefits.

The changes have created difficulties for workers who fail to earn more than 49.5 percent of their earnings outside of the high quarter by making them ineligible for unemployment compensation, the senator said.

“Act 6 and Act 60 changes are a hardship for seasonal workers, especially those who are employed in jobs where the work is highly concentrated in a quarter,” Tartaglione said.  “I am hopeful that we can adjust the law to make it more equitable.”

The committee hearing in Philadelphia was the second one that was held concerning the impact of Act 6 and Act 60 changes.  The first hearing was convened in Erie earlier this year.

Tartaglione said she expected to discuss this issue more over the next several weeks.

Tartaglione Says AG’s Findings on OT for Healthcare Workers ‘Outrageous’

HARRISBURG, April 23, 2015 – As one of the leading lawmakers who worked to address the issue of mandatory overtime for healthcare professionals, state Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione said the revelation that the 2009 law has not been followed is bad news for patients and workers.

Auditor General Eugene De Pasquale released his audit of the Department of Labor and Industry’s oversight of Act 102. His auditors concluded that L&I woefully missed deadlines for establishing the new regulations and that it was not a priority of the Corbett administration-era agency to do that.

“It’s outrageous that patients and workers were at risk even though the legislature had acted to protect them,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “People have needlessly suffered as tired healthcare professionals did the best they could to care for them,” she said.

The good news, Tartaglione said, is that Act 102 is now a priority as L&I Secretary Kathy Manderino said she will be hiring five people to do the required oversight “to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Tartaglione proposed Senate Bill 835 in 2007. The bill that then-Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law on Oct. 8, 2008, was the companion legislation, House Bill 834.

As she said when she introduced her bill, the need for the law existed because healthcare professionals who protested too many shifts of long hours risked losing their jobs.

“Nurses and other caregivers are committed to their patients first and foremost. They also know their limits,” Tartaglione said on the floor of the Senate in 2007. “Asking a nurse to volunteer for extra hours is a completely different scenario than mandating them to work whether they feel competent to continue or not.”

AG De Pasquale said his auditors found:

  • Despite a legal mandate requiring L&I to promulgate regulations by April 1, 2010, these regulations were not actually promulgated until July 19, 2014, or some four years after the required due date. And,
  • L&I failed to accurately record, investigate and respond to all Act 102-related complaints it received between July 1, 2009, and Aug. 31, 2014.

Act 102 prohibits a health care facility from requiring employees to work more than agreed to, predetermined and regularly scheduled work shifts. Employees covered under Act 102 are individuals involved in direct patient care or clinical care services who receive an hourly wage or who are classified as nonsupervisory employees for collective bargaining purposes.

New York, West Virginia and New Jersey, by comparison, were able to more quickly implement laws dealing with mandatory overtime.

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Tartaglione Reappointed Labor Chair; Targets Minimum Wage

HARRISBURG, Jan. 8, 2013 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione, recently re-appointed as Democratic chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, said today she will use the position to push for changes in Pennsylvania’s minimum wage law in order to prevent  working parents from sinking into poverty.

“This is the committee where I’m comfortable and this is the committee where I have had great experience and success,” she said. “Making sure there are jobs for everyone who wants to work and making sure those jobs pay enough to put food on the table have been my main focus in the Senate and that will remain the same.”

The last time Pennsylvania passed a minimum wage adjustment, in 2006, it came after six years of effort over three sessions and three different bills, Tartaglione said.

“Obviously it takes more than public support, it takes a great deal of communication with colleagues and a concerted effort by all of those who believe in fair wages,” she said. “We’ve done it before and we will do it again.”

In the most recent Senate session, Tartaglione introduced a bill that would have tied the state’s minimum wage to inflation, as ten other states have done.  She tried to have language from the bill inserted in another wage bill being considered by the Labor and Industry Committee, but the amendment was tabled, rather than receiving a vote.

“Everyone knows that the public overwhelmingly supports fair wages,” she said. “In the states where minimum wage calculators were put before voters – even red states – they were approved overwhelmingly.  It’s just a matter a getting past the special interests.”

Tartaglione was the author of the state’s last minimum wage bill, which raised the state’s lowest wage from $5.15 to $7.15 in several steps.  Since then, the federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25.

After the last increase, Tartaglione said, Pennsylvania’s poverty rate took a steep decline, only to gradually increase to a 20-year-high in 2010.

“Paying minimum wages that don’t keep pace with inflation puts more burden on government services, like food stamps and child care,” Tartaglione said. “Putting and inflation index on our minimum wage would decrease that burden and create a predictable base for employers.”

In addition to the Labor and Industry Committee, Tartaglione has been appointed to the Senate Rules and Executive Nominations Committee where, as Democratic Caucus Secretary, she helps guide the administration’s nominations through the Senate confirmation process.

She has also been named to the Law and Justice and State Government committees.