Pennsylvania workers gathered in Beaver and in Scranton today to protest Senate Bill 166, a bill advocating so-called “paycheck protection” that would prohibit public employees from voluntarily having their union dues deducted from their paychecks. The bill was rushed through the Senate Appropriations Committee with no discussion and was then voted on by the entire Senate. This legislation is not about protecting the paychecks of teachers, nurses, and hard working Pennsylvanians. SB 166 is an attempt to hurt ordinary Pennsylvanians by criminalizing workers’ rights.
“This is the privileged trying to take away the power from the average working person,” said Matt Edgell of PSEA in Beaver. “The legislators pushing these bills are driven by ideology, not by the concerns of Pennsylvania taxpayers.”
“Unions are crucial to the success of the working class in Pennsylvania,” said Representative Eddie Day Pashinski in Scranton. “Workers of Pennsylvania must let their representatives know that when you mess with labor, labor will stand firm. We must stop SB 166 from moving forward.”
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