Major step taken toward ending wage disparities among workers at Tobyhanna

WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey this week applauded the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) proposed rule to solve the persistent wage disparities for federal workers, including those at the Tobyhanna and Letterkenny Army Depots in Pennsylvania.

Currently, salaried employees at these critical national security facilities are included in higher paying locality pay areas than their hourly employee counterparts.

When implemented, the proposed rule would increase wages for 2,100 Pennsylvania workers by a total of $23 million each year.

“The workers at Tobyhanna and Letterkenny Army Depots are a pillar of our Commonwealth’s economy and play a key role in protecting our national security,” said Sen. Casey. “This proposed rule would ensure highly skilled workers are paid what they deserve so they can continue supporting their families and contributing to Pennsylvania’s economy and security. The workers at Tobyhanna and Letterkenny have been fighting for this for a long time.”

Ned George, President, AFGE Local 1647, said this proposed rule would put additional money into the hands of federal employees whose pay lags behind their coworkers.

Since 2005, salaried federal workers in Pennsylvania including at the Tobyhanna and Letterkenny Army Depots have been paid based on pay localities from New York City and DC — where pay is higher to meet higher costs of living — while their peers with hourly wages have been paid at lower locality rates.

Since hearing reports from workers that this pay gap has created strong incentives to leave the federal workforce, join the private sector, and diminish the capability of the organic industrial base, Sen. Casey has consistently pushed for the harmonization of locality pay areas for hourly and salaried workers.

The rule will be open for public comment for the next 60 days.

President Biden comments

Sen. Casey’s office provided comments from President Joe Biden on the issue:

“Investing in America means investing in all Americans to make sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one behind. That means being paid a fair wage, no matter where you work or how you were hired. For too long, workers hired under the Federal Wage System were paid less money than their counterparts hired under a different pay system to work in the same area.

“My Administration is working to change that. I’m proud that a new proposed rule from my Administration aims to close that gap and raise wages for roughly 14,500 blue-collar workers — such as hardworking carpenters, mechanics, electricians, and others working at military installations and other federal facilities.”

DCNR announces 2024 virtual workshop to explain grant application process for recreation, conservation projects

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn this week announced a free, virtual grant workshop for those seeking funding assistance for a new park, trail or conservation project.

“This workshop provides valuable insight into the grant process and offers an opportunity for applicants to meet with knowledgeable DCNR staff directly and ask questions,” said Secretary Dunn. “Residents of the Commonwealth have incredible plans for advancing conservation and recreation opportunities in their communities and we want the application process to be accessible and achievable for every municipality, nonprofit, or watershed group that wants to turn those plans into action.”

The workshop will take place Thursday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Anyone interested in applying for DCNR grants in 2025 is strongly encouraged to attend.

The grant workshop is especially suited for municipal officials, consultants, board members, trail managers, land trust staff, and park and recreation professionals.

The workshop will explain who can apply, what can be funded, when funding will be available and how to make project applications more competitive.

The workshop is free, but pre-registration is required to ensure participants receive needed materials. To register, visit the DCNR calendar of events and choose Nov. 7, as the date.

The workshop will include time for discussion with DCNR grant managers and regional advisers.

In 2023, the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation funded more than 225 projects totaling $54 million across the Commonwealth to support local parks, playgrounds, trails, nature preserves, boat launches, pools, ballfields and more.

State Department of Education introduces new benchmarking tool to measure student achievement

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) this week announced a new voluntary and free tool to help schools to track student achievement — the Pennsylvania Firefly Student Progress Indicators (PA Firefly).

PA Firefly is a PA-specific tool that will allow educators to assess students’ mastery of material taught in PA classrooms and covered on end-of-year exams, and intervene earlier to help students who need more help to fully master certain material.

“Pennsylvania’s new PA Firefly benchmarking tool provides a comprehensive view of student learning in real time, helping teachers meet day-to-day goals and end-of-year targets,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “We want students across the Commonwealth to succeed and have all the tools necessary to do so at their fingertips. Resources like PA Firefly help to gauge where students are at, so we can meet them there and help them grow and thrive.”

Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced changes to the state’s system of school assessments that will reduce the amount of time students spend taking standardized tests, mitigate stress and anxiety around testing by adopting question types that match how students learn, help teachers spend more time teaching, and save the Commonwealth millions of dollars.

PA Firefly will be available in Pennsylvania schools to support student learning throughout the year, starting this school year. The diagnostic exam is fully aligned to Pennsylvania standards to reflect and measure the same student knowledge and skills measured by the summative end-of-year and end-of-course assessments.

PA repaired more poor-condition bridges than any other state last year

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll this week announced that Pennsylvania repaired the most poor-condition bridges of any state last year, according to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data, and continues to make significant progress in 2024.

According to the FHWA, in 2023, Pennsylvania — including PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and other bridge owners — repaired or replaced more than 200 bridges of at least 20 feet in length, resulting in 90 fewer bridges rated in poor-condition — the largest improvement of any state in the country.

The Shapiro Administration is continuing its focus on infrastructure and has advanced projects for over 300 state and locally owned bridges so far in 2024.

PennDOT has been making steady progress to repair the Commonwealth’s bridges for years. In 2008, Pennsylvania had more than 6,000 state-owned bridges classified as in poor condition — but since then, PennDOT has successfully repaired or replaced more than 3,000 bridges, and the pace of those repairs is accelerating after Gov. Shapiro secured additional infrastructure funding in his first two budgets.

This year alone, PennDOT has improved over 3,100 miles of roadway, including 1,100 miles of paving, and advanced projects to improve or replace 303 state and locally owned bridges this year, aimed at strengthening the state’s critical infrastructure.

“Infrastructure is critical to our Commonwealth’s progress, and our ability to complete major projects is key to spurring economic growth and creating real opportunity,” said Gov. Shapiro. “Investing in and improving our infrastructure is a commonsense way to spur economic development, create jobs, and help Pennsylvanians reach their destinations safely and efficiently.”

Last month, Gov. Shapiro announced a significant investment of over $51 million in funding from the Multimodal Transportation Fund to support 66 crucial transportation projects across 32 counties in Pennsylvania.

“Maintaining this network is a monumental task, and while funding challenges persist, we are proud of the measurable progress in improving bridge conditions across the state,” said Secretary Carroll. “Our goal remains clear — ensuring that Pennsylvania’s bridges and roads are safe, reliable, and built for the future.”

“We are grateful to our partners, including our contractors and designers, who help us provide the Commonwealth with a safe, reliable, customer-valued toll road system that supports national mobility and commerce,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton.

The $500 million Large Bridge Project grant through the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) competitive Bridge Investment Program will help replace the I-83 South Bridge, which connects downtown Harrisburg in Dauphin County to the west shore in Cumberland County. The bridge currently carries more than 125,000 vehicles over the Susquehanna River every day, 15 percent of which is truck traffic.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been a game-changing investment in America’s infrastructure, and we’ve been hard at work putting these funds to good use in projects across Pennsylvania,” said Secretary Carroll. “We’re ensuring that Pennsylvanians can rely on safe, modern infrastructure now and in the future.”

Rep. Mullins and Rep. Kosierowski to lead Northeast Democratic Delegation

State Rep. Kyle Mullins (D-112) assumed the chairmanship of the Northeast Democratic Delegation after the former chairwoman, state Rep. Jeanne McNeill (D-133), was selected to lead the House Children and Youth Committee.

Members of the delegation also elected state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-114) to serve as the delegation’s vice chairwoman.

“Our Democratic state House members from Northeastern Pennsylvania have proven themselves to be principled leaders and tireless advocates for the hardworking people who sent them to Harrisburg,” said Mullins. “I’m honored and humbled to be entrusted by my regional colleagues to lead our delegation and continue to advance the quality of life within our region. I accept this new position as a responsibility to make our special communities the very best places to live, work and raise a family.”

“It is my privilege to have been selected as the delegation’s vice chairwoman under Chairman Mullins’ leadership,” said Kosierowski. “I’m eager to continue my support and promotion of the region’s issues and those initiatives of my fellow Northeastern PA colleagues in this delegation, as well as our business community and the region’s residents.”

Under the leadership of the previous chair and vice chair, McNeill and Mullins respectively, the Northeast Democratic Delegation supported a variety of projects, including securing millions of dollars in funding for passenger rail, airport infrastructure, and health care renovations and improvements.

The current Northeast Democratic Delegation includes 16 Democratic members from Berks, Lehigh, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Northampton and Pike counties.

In addition to the leaders mentioned above, the list includes Reps. Robert Freeman, Maureen Madden, Manny Guzman, Eddie Day Pashinski, Mark Rozzi, Steve Samuelson, Mike Schlossberg, Peter Schweyer, Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, Kyle Donahue, James Haddock, Tarah Probst and Josh Siegel.

During the delegation elections, Siegel was selected to serve as treasurer.