The Shield Our Employees Implement Rights Act can function a mannequin for cities all throughout the nation.
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Might Day, Might 1, 2025, in Philadelphia.
(Zach D Roberts / NurPhoto / Related Press)
There’s no unhealthy time to face up and defend the rights of employees, however there’s no higher time than proper now.
In simply the primary few months of his time period, Donald Trump has dismantled the Division of Labor, illegally fired the previous head of the Nationwide Labor Relations Board, dismissed a whole bunch of 1000’s of federal employees with out regard for his or her union contracts, and now could be trying to finish collective bargaining rights for federal employees utterly.
We’re combating in opposition to that right here in Philadelphia—in partnership with home employees, union members, and my colleagues within the Philadelphia Metropolis Council. And what we’re doing could be a mannequin for cities all throughout the nation.
Certainly one of our most important initiatives is to increase protections for our 750,000 employees, and to ensure the town of Philadelphia has the instruments and sources wanted to guard its employees, and maintain accountable unhealthy actors who break the regulation. Cities throughout the nation who wish to observe go well with ought to be seeking to strengthen native labor insurance policies and guarantee efficient enforcement.
If we’re going to efficiently tackle the greed of the billionaires and firms, we have to lead with our values and put them on the entrance of our native coverage fights. Trump and Musk won’t care about employees, however the Working Households Celebration and our allies who helped with this laws actually do.
That’s why I launched the Shield Our Employees Implement Rights (POWER) Act together with 13 of my colleagues. It’s probably the most vital laws to supply sweeping protections for employees since Trump’s election. The laws handed earlier as we speak with the help of the Nationwide Home Employees Alliance, the AFL-CIO, and Black and brown employee advocates throughout Philly.
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Philly is a union city. We have now deep roots in struggles for dignity, respect, and the pro-worker legal guidelines that make it doable to flee poverty, increase a household, and stay an excellent life. This contains lately handed laws for a good work week, larger wages for airport and safety employees, and one of many first Home Employee Invoice of Rights within the nation. As a metropolis councilor and former home employee, I wished to strengthen and replace our present legal guidelines whereas ensuring employees are shielded from retaliation and may extra simply assert their rights on the job. Philadelphians work onerous daily. And we have to present them with the protections they deserve once they go to work.
With this laws, we’re seizing the second by making our Division of Labor extra proactive, extra clear, and extra aware of the wants of on a regular basis employees. This invoice prevents retaliation in opposition to employees who assert their rights, enacting stronger authorized safeguards for employees and steeper monetary penalties for employers who break the regulation. It permits employees to obtain direct monetary help when employers violate their rights, the place beforehand all monetary penalties went solely to the town—in addition to strengthens our Division of Labor, enabling extra thorough and proactive office investigations and permitting the division to droop the enterprise licenses of unhealthy employers. It additionally provides employees the choice of pursuing non-public rights of motion, and mandates extra public reporting, together with a “Unhealthy Actors Database,” which lists employers with three or extra violations, offering extra public accountability for employers that break the regulation.
POWER additionally raises the hourly fee for paid sick depart for tipped employees, and certifies immigration protections for employees going through abuse or different violations.
Company-backed politicians and their billionaire allies are waging a battle on working folks throughout the nation. And with the Republican trifecta in DC, it’s clear that the federal authorities received’t save us. It’s on us, on the metropolis degree, to step up.
As we communicate, we’re barely 100 days into this administration. However one factor is already clear: The billionaires operating our nation don’t care about employees. Within the face of Trump’s dismantling of employee safety and pro-union precedents, we can’t idly sit by. Elected officers should use all authorized and legislative choices to push again and defend working folks on the town degree—no matter what Trump does.
Kendra Brooks
Kendra Brooks is the Philadelphia Metropolis Council minority whip.
