Rep. Kinkead discusses ‘union fever’ in Pittsburgh and throughout America.

Photo: Office of Rep. Kinkead

May Day—also known as International Workers’ Day—occurs annually on May 1 as a day to spread awareness and rally support to improve conditions for the workers of the world. As such, it is imperative this month that we emphasize—and celebrate—the inspiring and historic victories that workers have recently achieved both on the national level and right here in Allegheny County. These successes are a crucial reminder of the power of organized labor.

Let’s start with the saga of Christian Smalls, a former assistant manager at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, N.Y. He was fired from the company in 2020 after attempting to organize a walkout in protest of the lack of COVID-19 safety regulations at the warehouse, claiming they were endangering workers. According to a New York Times article, Amazon executives wrote him off as an unserious organizer and Amazon’s chief counsel described him as “not smart, or articulate.” This treatment lit a fire within Smalls that fueled his drive to secure better and safer working conditions for the Amazon employees he spent many years working alongside, with the ultimate goal of forming a union. After two years of a seemingly never-ending battle, up against a litany of union busting tactics and more than $4 million spent on anti-union consulting by the nation’s second largest private employer, the Staten Island workers voted on April 1 of this year to unionize, the first Amazon warehouse to do so—a milestone in the deep labor history of the United States.

A similar story unfolded in Pittsburgh this winter when Liam Tinker, a former barista at Coffee Tree Roasters, was fired after he publicly voiced support for unionizing the company. I, along with many of my pro-union colleagues in the General Assembly, was proud to stand behind Tinker and other employees at a union rally in January. Less than two months later, employees voted to join Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union. These courageous Pittsburgh workers sent a bold message: organized workers can and will achieve better working conditions if they unite and fight together.

I sincerely hope that these David-and-Goliath-type victories are used as a blueprint for employees of any industry who wish to form a union in the future. As a state representative, I pledge to continue supporting unionization efforts across Allegheny County and am eager to see more of our local workers achieve the pay, benefits, and conditions they deserve.

My colleague Rep. Pat Harkins, D-Erie, has been pushing since 2015 to pass H.B. 1976, also known as the Jake Schwab Worker Safety Bill, named for the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority mechanic who tragically died after workplace equipment he was using malfunctioned. Public employees deserve protection too, and this legislation would provide additional protections to more than 600,000 Pennsylvanians employed by state and local government.

I’m also excited by recent unionization efforts of UPMC healthcare workers locally and throughout the commonwealth. These workers have been physically and financially ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic—and they were past-due for a pay increase and more adequate conditions well before the pandemic. As the daughter of a former Pittsburgh paramedic and the sister of a nurse, I was especially proud to support them at a union rally in November. I look forward to seeing employees of UPMC, one of the largest employers in Pennsylvania, unionize in the near future.

Throughout this month, remember that the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 guarantees the rights of employees in the United States to form, join, or assist a union and negotiate with their employers. More information on union-related rights can be found online at nlrb.gov.

As we shift towards a green economy and embrace the continued trend of virtual and hybrid working environments, it’s apparent that what labor looks like is changing for many people across the globe—I believe for the better. But one thing that will never change is that workers deserve to be treated fairly, no matter where they work or the type of work they engage in—and I will do everything in my power to see that workers in southwestern Pennsylvania are.

As always, if you have any questions or need help with any state-related matter, I am here to help. Just call 412-321-5523 or email RepKinkead@pahouse.net.