John,
Last weekend, I joined Chris Smalls, the president and founder of the Amazon Labor Union, Pittsburgh City Councilmember Deb Gross, and key PA labor rights activists outside of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), to demand UPMC pay their fair share in taxes to the city and treat their workers with the dignity and respect they deserve.
In Congress, I am determined to make sure corporations give back to our communities, unable to hide behind a non-profit status while their workers suffer and their CEOs keep millions of dollars in their pockets. Can you chip in $5 or more to keep our campaign going strong?
For years UPMC, the largest employer and land owner in Pittsburgh, has written off its income as a charity organization. In 2021, they reported a nearly $1.5 billion surplus, but its nonprofit status meant it didn't pay any of this back to the city or county through property taxes.
And at the end of last year, hundreds of protestors filled the streets to demand a $20 minimum wage, safer staffing, better working conditions, affordable health care, and the right to form a union without retaliation.
Summer with Chris Smalls
John, we can’t call Pittsburgh a union town until we get the largest employer here to ensure that every single one of its workers has safe working conditions and a livable wage.
Our district can be the model for the future of labor — a multiracial, multigenerational movement to deliver power for all working people where every worker has a union. And the first step is to stop corporations from leeching off much-needed funds for our communities.
The future of our labor movement is strong, but only if we keep up the fight for the long haul.
Because when we fight, we win.
— Summer
