Category: General

I am honored and overwhelmed by the encouragement that I received from across the Commonwealth. I have served in many different capacities – in the military, as an attorney, a prosecutor, and then a judge. Now, I am looking forward to serving once again as a Supreme Court Justice.

Over the last year, I have visited every corner of Pennsylvania and met voters of all backgrounds. I have worked to show that I am a judge who will defend and obey the Constitution and protect our rights and liberties. I am truly humbled by the responsibility that the people of Pennsylvania have bestowed upon me and I look forward to working on their behalf.

Thank you for your incredible generosity. I look forward to serving on our Supreme Court.

Gratefully,

Justice-elect Dan McCaffery

November 17, 2023

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO is pleased to announce its 2024 Scholarship Essay Contest. We thank affiliate unions that have contributed to the award money for the Scholarship Essay Contests, in the past. Now we are writing to request your financial support and your help in promoting the 2024 Essay Contest.

The Essay Contest provides an opportunity for high school and post-secondary students to learn about the Labor Movement’s important contributions to the social, economic, and political development of our county. It also reminds students – the next generation of workers – about the importance of protecting the Labor Movement’s gains, for their own wellbeing in current and future workplaces.

Awards are offered to students in two categories: Graduating High School Seniors (class of 2024) and All Post Secondary Students. The award amounts are: First Place – $2,000, Second Place – $1,500, Third Place – $1,000.

The essay topics for each category are as follows:

Category I – Graduating High School Seniors:

What has COVID revealed about the division of labor in our country and what we constitute as essential workers?

Category II – Students Attending an Accredited, Post-Secondary Institution:

How would a $15 minimum wage impact different parts of our economy? You may consider the impact on low wage workers, on families, on small businesses, on large corporations, and on the government.

If you post this information on your website, please note that the scholarships are only awarded to Pennsylvania AFL-CIO affiliated union members and their immediate family members. All submissions must be postmarked by March 29, 2024. Essays will be judged in April 2024, and awards will be made in May 2024.

Click here for a Scholarship Application form for distribution to your members. You may make copies of this form.

If your union affiliate can contribute to the award money, please make your check payable to the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and mail it to: PA AFL-CIO, Attention: George Piasecki, III, Secretary-Treasurer, 600 North Second St., Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Thank you for your support of the Scholarship Essay Contest, whether it be monetarily, helping to publicize it, or both.

Last Monday night, a packed crowd gathered to celebrate Chris Smalls, this year’s honoree for the Center for Peace and Justice’s Adela Dwyer – St. Thomas of Villanova Peace Award. Smalls has become an American household name due to his groundbreaking work as the founder and president of Amazon Labor Union, the first Amazon union in the United States.

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Dear Friends,

I hope you are well. Thank you for your generous contribution. I am truly grateful for your meaningful support.

It’s the honor of my life to serve as Pennsylvania’s 48th Governor. I’m humbled by the responsibility and working my tail off to deliver for the good people of our Commonwealth. We are investing in our schools, public safety and job creation. We are also successful in defending real freedom here in Pennsylvania-whether it’s protecting your right to vote, to choose or to marry who you love.

I believe Pennsylvania should be a place where everyone has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. With your contribution, you are helping fuel our efforts to do just that. Thank you for believing in me.

With sincere thanks,

Gov. Josh Shapiro

Dear Friend,

Thank you very much for your generous donation to my campaign. I appreciate your support for my work in the House on behalf of Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District to make America a stronger and safer place. Your contribution helps me continue the fight for our shared principles. Each day of service to this incredible country is a privilege. I am grateful to you for helping make that service possible.

Sincerely,

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01)

We did it. After months on the campaign trail, building this people-powered, diverse coalition of friends, neighbors, unions, organizations, and Democratic leaders from across the city, we showed up and showed out at the polls. I am so proud of the campaign that we ran, and all of the work we put in to help get out the vote. None of this was easy – the long days and late nights – but on Tuesday night, we emerged victorious and made history together.

I want to thank everyone who endorsed and supported our vision for this city. Having the confidence of so many behind me gave this campaign the charge it needed to run through the tape and win this thing.

I want to thank every supporter who took time out of their day to make calls, send texts, knock doors, host events, and talk to their friends and family about my platform. I know that there’s sometimes not enough hours in the day, so the fact that you worked so tirelessly on my behalf means the world to me. You are the reason why I’m the first woman to become the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia. And it’s on your behalf that I will continue to fight to ensure that Philadelphia becomes the safest, cleanest, greenest big city in the world.

It’s been an honor to have you beside me in this primary election. Thank you for having my back and for being on #TeamCherelle. I’m looking forward to taking all of the momentum that we’ve built into the General Election!

Reprinted from the Delco Times:

Owner of Hector Mayorga Construction charged with misclassifying, intimidating employees

UPPER DARBY — A roofing contractor has been charged with worker misclassification and related offenses for allegedly misidentifying his employees as “independent contractors” to avoid payroll taxes, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer announced Monday.

Hector Mayorga Gordon, 45, of the 3700 block of Marshall Road in the Drexel Hill section of the township, is facing more than 100 counts that also include making false statements, witness intimidation and theft.

“My office is committed to sending a message to business owners throughout Delaware County – and throughout the commonwealth – that worker misclassification is a crime,” Stollsteimer said in a release. “Worker misclassification is a form of theft: It deprives the commonwealth of revenue, but even more significantly, it deprives workers of the protections that our laws are intended to provide.”

A 2010 law known as the Construction Workplace Misclassification Act criminalizes the misclassification of employees as “subcontractors.” The law requires that independent contractors be truly autonomous, with their own businesses, performing tasks for the contractor on an “arm’s-length” basis for contractual payment.

Mayorga Gordon, the owner of Hector Mayorga Construction, allegedly ignored these employment regulations and misclassified his workers as independent contractors in violation of that law, paying them a flat daily rate without deducting any taxes.

He housed workers and provided them with transportation to and from work sites, provided all tools, and directed all work either himself or through a foreman, the release says.

One such employee, identified as “Victim #1” in an affidavit of probable cause written by county Detective Edward Rosen, stated that he performed general labor, carpentry, drywall, roofing and painting for Mayorga Gordon’s company in 2019 and 2020.

The employee said he was provided $130 per day, which later increased to $150 per day, and was paid by a company check from Hector Mayorga Construction. The employee said he was staying in a residence provided by the company and that all tools and materials for jobs were provided by Mayorga Gordon, according to the affidavit.

“Victim #1” said he is an undocumented alien from Honduras and that none of Mayorga Gordon’s employees are in the country legally. He paid Mayorga Gordon $1,500 monthly rent to live in an Upper Darby residence and Mayorga Gordon drove him to work, the affidavit says.

“Victim #1” fell from a steep roof in Havertown Aug. 1, 2020, after Mayorga Gordon allegedly failed to supply him with a harness, the affidavit says. Mayorga Gordon allegedly told “Victim #1” that he does have harnesses because employees steal them.

Mayorga Gordon allegedly posed as the brother of “Victim #1” to call him at the hospital, telling him to give a fictitious name and not to mention the name of his employer. The man refused, according to the affidavit, and provided his true name. He was released three days later, but had to return for another three days soon afterward. Mayorga Gordon allegedly told the man that if he was going to go back into a hospital to call him and he would take “Victim #1” to a different hospital.

When Mayorga Gordon refused to pay for the hospital bills, “Victim #1” filed a worker’s compensation claim, according to the affidavit. Mayorga Gordon allegedly contacted “Victim #1” after receiving a letter from the Worker’s Compensation Bureau and said he would “do what he has to do” if the two could not come to an agreement. This allegedly included threats that Mayorga Gordon knew where the man’s family lived and would kidnap his father, and that he would have “Victim #1” deported.

Rosen investigated the company’s finances and found Mayorga Gordon failed to pay approximately $50,000 in worker’s compensation premiums between January 2019 and January 2022, according to the affidavit.

Rosen also interviewed five people who identified themselves as employees of Hector Mayorga Construction, all of whom said they are in the country illegally and were paid $120 per day by cash or check, but do not pay any taxes or insurance.

During a subsequent interview, Mayorga Gordon allegedly admitted that he is aware most of his employees are here illegally and that he does not deduct taxes for them. Mayorga Gordon initially said none of his employees had been injured, but did acknowledge “Victim #1” was injured after he asked about the Worker’s Compensation claim, according to the affidavit.

Rosen additionally confirmed with State Farm that Mayorga Gordon does not carry workers compensation coverage on his policy, the affidavit says.

“Our message is simple: Protect your workers by complying with the law,” said Stollsteimer, whose office prosecuted the first worker misclassification case in the state in 2020, despite the law being on the books for a decade.

“In our two years in office, we have pursued several misclassification cases, and with the support of the Fair Labor Section of the Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office, we will continue to investigate and hold companies who cheat Pennsylvania workers criminally accountable,” he said.  “I want to commend Criminal Investigation Division Detective Edward Rosen for his efforts in building this case, and the work of Deputy District Attorney Douglas Rhoads and Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Schneider, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit. In addition, I want to thank Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Chief Deputy Attorney General Nancy Walker for their support in bringing today’s charges.”

Mayorga Gordon was preliminarily arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Wilden H. Davis, who set bail at $150,000 unsecured. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Lansdowne May 13 before Magisterial District Judge Christopher R. Mattox. No defense attorney is listed in online court documents.