Labor & Employment (Collective Bargaining)

in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jun 18, 2026

SR 339: A Resolution designating the week of June 8 through 14, 2026, as "Union Organizing Week" in Pennsylvania, in honor of those workers who have fought for their right to organize and bargain collectively at their workplace.

This Senate Resolution designates the week of June 8 through 14, 2026, as "Union Organizing Week" throughout Pennsylvania. The measure directly affects workers and employers by formally recognizing the historical efforts of employees who have fought for the right to organize and bargain collectively. The resolution highlights the benefits of unionization, such as improved workplace safety and fair wages, while acknowledging the challenges workers face during the organizing process. It serves as a commemorative gesture rather than establishing new legal requirements or changing existing labor laws.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill designates 'Union Organizing Week' to honor workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively, explicitly highlighting benefits like improved safety and fair wages.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Workplace Safety

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Jul 9, 2026

HB 2455: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, in powers and duties of the Department of Public Instruction and its departmental administrative boards and commissions, further providing for collective bargaining.

This bill grants school administrators in Pennsylvania's first-class cities and school districts the right to engage in collective bargaining with their employers. It allows these administrators to negotiate terms regarding pay, working hours, benefits, and dispute resolution through designated representatives. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will handle any disagreements about these bargaining items using the same process applied to other public employees. The changes apply immediately upon the bill's enactment.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill grants school administrators collective bargaining rights, enhancing their ability to negotiate pay, benefits, and working conditions, which supports educator welfare.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly grants school administrators the right to collective bargaining, expanding worker rights and protections.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 1, 2026

SB 1247: An Act amending the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act, in collective bargaining impasse, further providing for interest arbitration.

This bill modifies Pennsylvania's Public Employee Relations Act to introduce interest arbitration for specific public sector groups facing collective bargaining impasses. It directly affects prison guards, mental hospital staff, court employees, and peace officers by requiring their labor disputes to be resolved by a binding panel of arbitrators after mediation fails. The law mandates that these arbitrators make final decisions on contract terms, except for provisions that would require new legislation to implement. The changes take effect 60 days after the bill is signed into law.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill introduces interest arbitration to resolve collective bargaining impasses, protecting public sector workers' rights to reach fair contracts.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Public Employees

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Apr 17, 2026

SB 1268: An Act amending the act of June 1, 1937 (P.L.1168, No.294), known as the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act, further providing for definitions; providing for notice and regulations; further providing for unfair labor practices and for representatives and elections; providing for initial collective bargaining agreement; further providing for prevention of unfair labor practices and for penalties; and imposing penalties.

SB 1268 amends Pennsylvania's Labor Relations Act to clarify definitions of employees and independent contractors while introducing new rules for union elections and employer conduct. The bill requires employers to post notices about employee rights both physically and electronically and mandates the provision of detailed voter lists to labor organizations following union elections. Additionally, it designates specific actions as unfair labor practices, such as forcing employees to participate in employer-led campaigns unrelated to their job duties. These changes aim to standardize how labor disputes are managed and ensure clearer communication between employers and workers regarding their collective bargaining rights.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill clarifies employee definitions, mandates posting of employee rights, and designates unfair labor practices to protect workers' organizing and bargaining rights.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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passed · Pennsylvania · Senate Jun 12, 2026

SB 908: An Act amending the act of August 15, 1961 (P.L.987, No.442), known as the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act, further providing for definitions, for specifications and for duty of secretary.

This bill amends Pennsylvania's Prevailing Wage Act to clarify definitions and requirements for public works projects. It expands the definition of "public work" to include custom fabrication of nonstandard goods or materials for projects costing more than $25,000, while excluding structural steel and precast concrete. The law requires contractors and subcontractors performing custom fabrication to follow the same wage, reporting, and compliance rules as other public works contractors. Additionally, the bill clarifies that the Secretary of Labor and Industry must determine prevailing wage rates for all crafts, including those involved in custom fabrication, and must consider employee benefit contributions from collective bargaining agreements when setting these rates.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill expands prevailing wage protections to more public works projects, strengthening worker wage rights and compliance requirements under the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jul 12, 2026

HB 2190: An Act amending the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act, in collective bargaining impasse, further providing for arbitration; and, in strikes, further providing for prohibited strikes.

HB 2190 amends Pennsylvania's Public Employe Relations Act to change how collective bargaining impasses are resolved for specific public safety and court staff. It requires binding arbitration for disputes involving prison guards, mental hospital staff, peace officers, and court employees when mediation fails - meaning the arbitrator's decision becomes final and enforceable. However, if an arbitration decision would require new legislation (e.g., changing pay rates or benefits), that part would only be advisory, not binding. The bill directly affects these public employee groups whose work is critical to security and court operations. This change streamlines dispute resolution while maintaining legislative oversight for policy changes.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires binding arbitration for prison guards and court staff disputes, ensuring stable workforce in corrections and courts - key components of criminal justice system operations.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires binding arbitration for public safety/court staff collective bargaining impasses, strengthening resolution process without strikes.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Courts Collective Bargaining Public Employees

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Feb 13, 2026

SB 1188: An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929, in powers and duties of the Department of Public Instruction and its departmental administrative boards and commissions, further providing for collective bargaining.

SB 1188 amends Pennsylvania's 1929 Administrative Code to grant collective bargaining rights to school administrators employed by cities of the first class or school districts of the first class A. It allows these administrators to negotiate terms like pay, hours, working conditions, retirement, and benefits through labor organizations representing at least 50% of their peers. Disputes over these terms will be resolved by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board using procedures similar to the Public Employers Relations Act. This bill directly affects school administrators in specific large cities and school districts, expanding their formal negotiation rights under state law.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationGrants collective bargaining rights to school administrators, supporting their negotiation of pay, conditions, and benefits, thereby strengthening the educational workforce.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly grants collective bargaining rights to school administrators, enabling negotiation of pay, hours, benefits, and working conditions through labor organizations, directly advancing worker organizing rights.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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in committee · Pennsylvania · Senate Jan 9, 2026

SB 1076: An Act requiring a percentage of workers on a public works project to be hired from the local labor market; imposing duties on the Department of Labor and Industry; and imposing penalties.

SB 1076, the Local Hire Act, requires at least 50% of workers on public works projects costing over $500,000 to be hired from the local labor market (defined as Pennsylvania counties and adjacent bordering counties). Employers unable to meet this requirement must post job openings on PA CareerLink® for three business days; if no qualified local applicants are found, they may obtain a waiver but must contribute to a training fund based on the collective bargaining agreement for each waived position. The Department of Labor and Industry oversees the waiver process and enforces penalties for non-compliance. This law applies to contractors working on state or local government construction, repair, or alteration projects (excluding maintenance work).

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRequires 50% local hiring for public projects, prioritizes local labor access, mandates training fund contributions for waived positions, advancing local employment opportunities and workforce development.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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passed · Pennsylvania · House Mar 30, 2026

HB 1191: An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in railroads, providing for prohibition on blocking of crossings, for limitation on length of freight or work trains, for authorization to monitor safety practices and operations by collective bargaining representatives, for safe staffing levels for trains or light engines, for wayside detector systems, for study of transportation of hazardous materials or waste, for reporting system for transportation of hazardous materials or waste and for hazard impact assessment; and imposing penalties.

HB 1191 strengthens railroad safety in Pennsylvania by prohibiting railroads from blocking highway crossings for more than five minutes (with $10,000 penalties), limiting freight train lengths to 8,500 feet, and requiring two-person crews for freight trains (with limited exceptions for smaller railroads). The bill authorizes union representatives to monitor safety practices and operations, mandates functional wayside detector systems on higher-risk tracks, and creates a reporting system for hazardous materials transportation. It directly affects all railroads operating in Pennsylvania, including their safety protocols, staffing, and infrastructure maintenance. Penalties for violations range from $1,000 to $25,000 for crew-related breaches, with enforcement handled by the Public Utility Commission.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates two-person crews, authorizes union safety monitoring, and requires functional safety systems - directly strengthening rail worker safety and collective bargaining rights in workplace operations.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill strengthens railroad safety via crossing blocking prohibitions, crew requirements, and safety monitoring, directly enhancing transportation safety standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Freight Rail Roads & Highways

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in committee · Pennsylvania · House Jan 22, 2025

HB 263: An Act amending the act of July 23, 1970 (P.L.563, No.195), known as the Public Employe Relations Act, in definitions, further providing for the definition of "maintenance of membership"; in employee rights, further providing for lawful activities and providing for rights and privileges and for civil actions; and, in scope of bargaining, further providing for proper subjects of bargaining.

HB 263 amends Pennsylvania's Public Employe Relations Act to clarify union membership rules and expand rights for public employees. It defines "maintenance of membership" to allow employees to resign from a union 15 days before a contract expires, while prohibiting unions from restricting members' rights to speak, disassociate, or stop dues payments. The bill ensures all public employees - regardless of union membership - can attend contract ratification meetings, receive full financial transparency from unions, and access membership documents. It also creates a legal path for employees to seek court remedies if these rights are violated. This affects public employees and their unions across Pennsylvania state and local government workplaces.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentClarifies union membership rules to allow employee resignation and prohibits unions from restricting member rights, expanding public employee protections under collective bargaining.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

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