Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where some major political forces are raising questions about the Vice Presidential chances of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, but first some big news out of Wheeling, West Virginia
John Russell Nominated for an Emmy for East Palestine Work
Our good friend John Russell of The Holler was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the East Palestine chemical train disaster.
Check out his Emmmy nominated work here.
PA Teachers Union Not Thrilled with Josh Shapiro
One of the names at the top of any Vice Presidential list is Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. While Shapiro has garnered support from many Pennsylvania unions, he has angered teachers unions with his support of school vouchers in last year’s Pennsylvania budget.
Recently, Governor Shapiro pushed for a school voucher program as part of Pennsylvania’s state budget. With the Democratic National Committee firmly opposed to vouchers, Shapiro sought and was granted an exemption that allowed him to work on pushing vouchers in the state.
“We shouldn’t even think about sending taxpayer money to private and religious schools when our focus should be on fixing Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional public school funding system,” Pennsylvania State Education Association President Aaron Chapin said in a statement opposing Shapiro’s call for vouchers, which passed this July.
For more on the progressive case against Shaprio, check out The New Republic.
Mark Kelly Flip Flops on PRO Act
As Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is considered for the Vice Presidential spot, he has flipped from opposing the PRO (Protecting the Right to Organize) Act to supporting it. From Dave Jamieson at HuffPost:
“Why would the Democrats even consider a senator for the vice presidency if the senator doesn’t support the PRO Act?” John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union, told ABC News.
But Kelly on Wednesday made clear in an interview with HuffPost that he would support the bill if it came to the Senate floor, affirming enthusiastic support for labor unions. He is not listed as a co-sponsor on the Senate’s most recent version.
“Unions loom large in our life, and I’m supportive of the PRO Act,” Kelly said, recounting how when his mother, a police officer, was injured, her union helped her recover.
Video Game Performers to Go on Strike
The video game industry makes more than the film and music industries combined. Increasingly, workers have been organizing in the industry and now the actors, who play characters in video games, are going on strike.
The strike comes after the union has been unable to agree on a contact for 2 years. The key sticking issue is artificial intelligence replacing the actors.
“Frankly, it’s stunning that these video game studios haven’t learned anything from the lessons of last year – that our members can and will stand up and demand fair and equitable treatment with respect to A.I., and the public supports us in that,” said Duncan Crabtree-Apple.
Biden Asked to Intervene to Prevent NJ Transit Strike
Last year, President Biden used federal powers to intervene and stop a freight railroad workers strike. Now, Biden is being asked to intervene to stop a strike of transit workers in New Jersey.
“We know they requested for the President to form a PEB,” Mark Wallace, BLE&T first vice president, told NJ Advance Media. “They have formally requested it.”
For more, check out NJ Advance Media.
News & Links Elsewhere
- U.A.W. holds off on endorsing Harris
- Thousands of San Francisco hotel workers ready for strike vote
- The number of low-wage U.S. workers is dropping—but 23% still make less than $17/hr
- Jose Cuervo tequila plant explosion, fire in Mexico kill at least 5 workers
- Finally, ‘World of Warcraft’ development team unionizes In notable step for game worker organizing efforts
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, story ideas, comments and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
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Love & Solidarity,
Melk
