PECO reported record profits last year, but instead of offering savings to their customers or a raise to their workers, they tried to hike up utility rates and went months without agreeing to a contract with their grid workers. When PECO failed to reach an agreement with the union by the Fourth of July, IBEW 614 walked out. I joined them on their picket line in Warminster not just because fairly compensating the workers who perform an essential and dangerous service to keep our lights on is the right thing to do, but because I’ve personally experienced the benefits that unions offer.
I come from a union family. My dad was a member of Sheet Metal Workers’ Union Local 19. Growing up, I saw the difference a union can make for a working-class family. Thanks to Local 19’s hard-fought contract, my dad supported five children and worked for an organization that treated him with dignity and respect. When a disability forced him into an early retirement, my mom returned to work and had to work multiple jobs to support us. The difference between my mother’s several minimum wage jobs and my father’s union work was clear to me even as a child.
That proved to me that unions aren’t just good for their members – they benefit our entire Commonwealth. They ensure that working people can earn enough to afford the housing, food, and other essentials that their families need. They strengthen the middle class and reduce income inequality. Communities with higher rates of union membership have, on average, higher wages, higher job satisfaction, and fewer families without health insurance — even among nonunion workers. Unions go beyond economic benefits: according to the U.S. Treasury, union membership correlates with increased civic participation across the board. That means higher voter turnout, more donations to charity, and greater engagement in local government.
Pennsylvania has a strong history of union organizing. When I joined IBEW on the picket line, I was proud to be part of a tradition that included important moments like the Great Anthracite Strike of 1902, when President Teddy Roosevelt stepped in on the side of striking miners and helped them in their fight for better working conditions and higher pay. Examples like that are a reminder that the government should make it easier for workers to organize, not harder.
Here in Pennsylvania, our state government must protect the right to unionize, increase the minimum wage, and tackle the issues that are driving up costs in our communities. We must continue to reject the calls of CEOs and corporations for so-called “Right-to-Work” laws that devastate the ability of workers to organize. To do that, we need legislators in office that will stand up to big business and fight for the working class.
While claiming to make life more affordable, Rep. Labs votes to give you less rights in the workplace and make your life more expensive.
I’m running for state representative because I’m ready to be that kind of leader. I’ve worked to bring unions and legislators from both sides of the aisle together to make progress here in Pennsylvania. As State Policy Manager for Conservation Voters of PA, I draft legislation to support the labor and environmental progress of the commonwealth. When I authored the Veterans Entering the Sustainability Sector (VETSS) Program Act, I built connections between veterans and apprenticeship opportunities in the sustainability sector. Alongside the Pennsylvania Building Trades, we built the Solar for Schools Grant Program which secured $25 million a year in union-led work to upgrade our public schools. This is the kind of legislation I can’t wait to champion. These initiatives have paid dividends in well-paying jobs, lower utility costs for our schools, improved environments for our students, and in a greener Pennsylvania for everyone. Our state legislatures must choose to prioritize unions and advance pro-worker policies.
I’m running to replace our incumbent state Rep. Shelby Labs because she’s actively harmed the working class of Bucks county.
Earlier this year, Rep. Labs voted against raising the minimum wage to $15, she voted against protecting collective bargaining, and against sexual assault protections in the hospitality industry. While thousands of people struggle to keep up with the rising costs of electricity, Rep. Labs voted against lowering utility bills. While claiming to make life more affordable, Rep. Labs votes to give you less rights in the workplace and make your life more expensive.
Bucks County deserves a leader that puts people, not corporate profits, first. I’m standing here today because of the workplace rights that unions gave my family. I promise to fight for the same opportunity for all of our community. I’ll be a champion in Harrisburg for all workers—not just IBEW members on the picket line, but for teachers, farmers, office workers, and Wawa cashiers like my mom. Together, we’ll create a Pennsylvania where everyone, no matter what they do for a living, can support their family.
