Dear John,

Public employees have kept our country running through COVID-19. These are the teachers who worked hard to educate our kids amid a dangerous pandemic, health care professionals, people who make our state and local governments run and more.

They often did so at great personal risk to themselves and their families. Many of them still do. Now more than ever, I believe we need to make sure they are treated well, paid fairly and ensured safe working conditions -- because fundamentally, that what all workers deserve.

Rep. Cartwright introduces the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act alongside national labor leaders and workers

This week, I introduced the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. It's a bill supported by more than 150 Democrats and Republicans that would enable public service workers to stand together and bargain collectively for higher wages, better health care and a secure retirement.

This bill is firmly rooted in Northeastern Pennsylvania's history. I think back to the 1902 coal strike in Lackawanna County, when the legendary organizer John Mitchell brought together Scranton mine workers across ethnicities and language barriers so they could secure better pay and conditions in such a hazardous line of work.

As anti-worker forces continue their efforts to chip away at worker protections, it’s time to ensure the millions of public servants across this nation have a voice on the job.

After a lifetime of work, every American deserves the dignity of a secure and fulfilling retirement. But Social Security hasn’t been improved in 50 years, and as a result millions of seniors receive poverty-level checks each month. It’s unacceptable. I helped introduce legislation this week to change that.

It's called the Social Security 2100 Act, and it would boost social security benefits, update the cost-of-living adjustment that has failed to keep pace with seniors’ expenses, and ensure benefits can be paid for years to come.

Bringing passenger rail service back to Northeastern Pennsylvania -- a project I've been working on since I got to Congress nine years ago, is coming into focus.

When President Biden came back to Scranton last week, he did so in front of the Electric City Trolley Museum -- a symbol of our region's history with rail. Yet, we haven't been on the national rail map in over 50 years. If Congress passes the infrastructure bill we're working on, we soon could get back on that grid.

The resources in the bill would help Amtrak restore service to our area, running a train line between Northeastern Pennsylvania and New York City three times a day. We still have more work to do, but I'm not giving up.

Be safe and well,