The blue-collar conundrum
Vetoing H.B. 1100 is an insult to Pennsylvania’s working families
Never did I expect to see this combination in Pennsylvania, especially in an election year: a Republican president supporting union jobs and a slew of Democratic state legislators actively working against Pennsylvania’s working families. This dumbfounding reality can best be described as a blue-collar conundrum.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, I saw blue-collar workers literally build the state. I am disgraced to now see a number of Pennsylvania Democrats cowardly abandon those same workers still so essential to the framework of the commonwealth.
This phenomenon is created by none other than Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party, but I must be clear that this is not a blanket statement on every Democratic legislator in the state. The ones who act on behalf of the working class know who they are, and I appreciate their continued efforts. But there are too many jeopardizing blue-collar workers in pursuit of a self-centered mission unrelated to the Democratic Party’s true purpose.
The Democratic Party was founded to represent working people. Even though they were different people with different backgrounds, their identity as working people who fought together to win together mattered most. Flash forward to today where that unity is nowhere in sight, and the Democratic Party increasingly divides over superficial superlatives like who is the best progressive, liberal or environmental activist, to name a few. This pointless competition among Democrats will only hand President Donald Trump the trophy for four more years.
Take for instance a bill that passed in October that created the Construction Industry Employment Verification Act. Effective this October, the law will require all construction contractors working in Pennsylvania to run new hires through E-Verify, a web-based system that confirms eligibility to work in the United States. It became law with bipartisan support, but the most steadfast opponents were Democrats striving for the title of best immigration activist.
The Laborers’ International Union of North America supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship, but without E-Verify, it is a known fact that contractors exploit undocumented workers for cheap labor. As a result, middle-class construction jobs for local workers that unions have fought so hard to establish are depleted.
Even as industries evolve throughout Pennsylvania, blue-collar workers will always be needed to pave roads, produce steel, build bridges and generate energy. A majority of Pennsylvania residents actually lack the education required for new technology or health care jobs in the state. Multiple reports show that only approximately 30% of Pennsylvania residents have a bachelor’s degree. Blue-collar job requirements typically don’t exceed a high school diploma and job training.
The blue-collar conundrum presented itself most recently on House Bill 1100, a bill that would provide a modest tax credit long after companies have invested to build petrochemical and fertilizer plants primarily in the northeast portion of the state. This is the first bill in Pennsylvania where the tax incentive is contingent upon creating hundreds of prevailing wage jobs in construction and manufacturing. Once again, despite bipartisan support in the House and Senate, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf announced his plan to veto the bill and cater to environmentalists who propose no realistic energy or jobcreating alternative of their own.
Natural gas has lowered Pennsylvania’s carbon emissions over the last decade, and H.B. 1100 would utilize Pennsylvania’s abundant dry natural gas resources to power manufacturing at these plants to create nonplastic, everyday products. Also, according to the latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, natural gas generates over 7.5 million MWh of electricity in comparison with the combined total of all renewable energy sources at 777,000 MWh in Pennsylvania. Renewable energy cannot meet current electricity demand, but natural gas is the clean, affordable and reliable source needed to get us to that point while creating family-supporting jobs.
So congratulations to those activist Democrats who have insulted Pennsylvania’s working families. You could end this conundrum today if you wanted to by taking real action to protect and promote bluecollar jobs. Still, time and time again, you choose not to. The longer you want to continue this conundrum, the longer you will go without votes from blue-collar workers and the harder you will make it for the Democratic Party to achieve any real progress.