Reflections on Racial Injustice from CLS’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer
Reflections from CLS Deputy Director of Operations and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Brenda Marrero on racial injustice.
To Governor Wolf: Keep Pennsylanians’ Power on During the Pandemic
People are at risk of getting their utilities shut off, even though we are in the middle of a pandemic and need to “shelter in place.” Currently, utilities are not allowed to shut people off, but that ends on June 4th. This week CLS and the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project submitted a letter to Governor…
PGW Wants to Raise Your Gas Bill During a Pandemic. Here’s What You Can Do.
PGW wants to increase customer rates by $70 million per year. They say the average household’s gas bill would go up by 11.2%, but the actual increase could be much higher. Their proposal would increase the fixed monthly charge from $13.75 to $19.25, a 40% increase, and that’s without using any gas! Gas bills are…
Gig Workers’ & Contractors’ Rights and COVID-19
Información en Español Printable flyer Great news! A new unemployment benefit called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (“PUA”) is available to workers who are not eligible for regular Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation (UC) – including gig workers, freelancers, independent contractors, employees of religious institutions, and self-employed individuals. You may be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) if your…
Los Derechos de los Trabajadores Independientes y contratistas y COVID-19
Haga clic aquí para descargar el folleto ¡Buenas noticias! … Un nuevo beneficio de desempleo que se llama Asistencia por Desempleo Pandémico (PUA, por sus siglas en inglés) está disponible para los trabajadores que no son elegibles para Compensación por Desempleo regular (UC, por sus siglas en inglés), incluyendo: trabajadores por proyecto (“gig” workers) y…
Report: The Application for Pennsylvania Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has Problems. Here’s How to Fix Them.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) was passed by Congress as part of the CARES Act to provide unemployment compensation (UC) benefits to people who have been left out of the unemployment system – including gig workers like ridesharing drivers, self-employed people, independent contractors, and people with limited wage records. This new program was executed by the…
Have you fallen behind paying your utility bills? You may be eligible for up to $800 to help.
Starting Monday, May 18th, Pennsylvania will accept applications for its new LIHEAP Recovery Crisis Program. Eligible households could receive grants of up to $800 sent directly to their utility or fuel vendor. Grants are available to pay for heating or electric bills. You can also get help to fix broken heaters or other energy equipment.…
Problems Using The IRS Web Portal to Get COVID-19 Payments? We Want to Hear from You!
Are you a non-tax filer who receives federal benefits, including SSI, SSDI, RRB or VA benefits? Did you get $500 in stimulus money for your dependent children? If not, we want to hear from you. Were you aware that IRS wanted you to use their web portal to get COVID-19 payments by April 22 (if you receive…
Los Derechos de los Trabajadores Inmigrantes y COVID-19
Haga clic aquí para descargar el folleto Los Trabajadores Inmigrantes tiene derecho a: Un Lugar de Trabajo Saludable y Seguro Licencia por Enfermedad con Goce de Sueldo Compensación por Desempleo ¿Le preocupan los problemas de salud y seguridad en el trabajo? ¡Usted tiene derecho a exigir mejores condiciones! Todos los trabajadores tienen derecho a un…
Report: Pennsylvania Clean Slate: Delivering on Its Promises
Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law, Act 56 of 2018, was passed to bring criminal record sealing to scale by the use of automation. Nine months into the automated sealing of cases, other states interested in replicating the model have inquired how its implementation has been going. The answer: Extremely well. Clean Slate has been effectively implemented…
