HARRISBURG – More than 40,000 seasonal or cyclical workers are once again eligible for unemployment compensation after Gov. Tom Wolf signed a new law today. Senate Labor and Industry Committee Chair Sen. Lisa Baker (R-20th) participated in the bill signing ceremony and offered remarks praising the bipartisan effort that restores benefits while ensuring the long-term solvency of the unemployment compensation system.
The matter was the focus of a pair of Senate Labor and Industry Committee hearings held in Erie and Philadelphia last year, following reports that seasonal workers were disproportionately impacted by a 2012 revision to the formula used to calculate unemployment compensation. Baker said, “The testimony compelled a thorough look at the issue and helped to put us on the path to a responsible remedy that becomes official today.”
“That labor and employers, Republicans and Democrats, legislators and the administration could find acceptable common ground on a contentious issue is a constructive result Pennsylvanians deserve more of,” Baker added. “The unemployment compensation issue shows how state government should operate – attack a big problem, figure out how to combine economic reality and the public interest, put in place a thought out and equitable solution, and move to address the glitches as they become apparent through experience.”
Andrew M. Seder
District Communications/Constituent Services for Pike and Wayne Counties
Office of Senator Lisa Baker
2512 Route 6
Hawley, PA 18428
(570) 226-5960
aseder@pasen.gov
www.senatorbaker.com