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07 Sep Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Baseball and Public Sector Union Contract Transparency

Posted at 11:00h in News
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Hot dogs, hamburgers, baseball, watermelon, weekend getaways, and fireworks. That is how most Americans know Labor Day. At one point, the holiday was meaningful to even more Americans. About 50 years ago, 34.8% of all US wage and salary workers belonged to unions. Recent numbers indicate that this figure is now around 11.3%. Since 1983, private sector union membership has declined from 16.8% to 6.7%. During this same time though, public sector employee unionization has remained fairly steady. [caption id="attachment_17181" align="alignright" width="268"] Contract Transparency is Pending in Pennsylvania[/caption] It is these public sector employee unions that remain a hot topic in public...

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21 Jul Pennsylvania Should Ensure All Students are Trained in Hands-Only CPR

Posted at 08:28h in Insights
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Over 350,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur without warning each year in the United States, and approximately 88% occur at home. This medical tragedy is compounded by the fact that more than 70% of Americans feel helpless to assist because they were never taught CPR or, if taught, believe their training is outdated. A solution that could save the lives of your family and friends is to ensure all schools teach CPR while students are in High School. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a proven lifesaving tool that is easy to learn and to use. Every hour, 48 people will have a cardiac...

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23 Jun A Turning Point for Natural Gas Vehicles in Pennsylvania

Posted at 19:29h in Insights
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“Marcellus Shale” and “natural gas” are household terms now in Pennsylvania. But things were a lot different in Pennsylvania in 2009 than they are now. The Commonwealth, like her peers across the nation, was grappling with a recession that had not yet found bottom. But, unlike many of her peers, Pennsylvania was sitting on top of the Marcellus Shale fairway – one of the most exciting natural gas “plays” in the country. Most Pennsylvanians still hadn’t heard of the term and most policymakers were just starting to appreciate its potential. But before long, Pennsylvania’s budget deficit drove the public calls...

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03 Jun We Are Worth It.

Posted at 20:29h in Insights
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Imagine your life pre-1966 as an individual with an intellectual disability, then known as “mental retardation” – a negative sounding term for sure. Depending on the level of your intellectual disability, you could find yourself living at home with family or be completely misunderstood as someone unable to control their emotions/actions, be considered harmful to yourself or others and be placed in a state institutional setting - isolated from family and friends and with limited supports and services outside of basic shelter and food. Few individuals were afforded opportunities to live in privately funded facilities and no other public infrastructure...

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19 Apr PA’s Initiative on Assistive Technology

Posted at 19:04h in Insights
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Issue Support Case Study – PIAT identified a need to raise awareness of the assistive technology program and the importance of securing additional funding to support its lending library of equipment and the shipping costs incurred as individuals explore their options with different equipment. Following discussion and preparation of a strategic plan to impact the Commonwealth’s budget process for FT 2006-2007, Capital Associates, Inc., together with representatives from PIAT, engaged in an educational campaign to raise the awareness of this significant and effective program. Although not permitted to lobby, PIAT was able with the assistance of Capital Associates to increase...

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