House Democratic Policy Committee examine jobs, labor market

State Rep. David Delloso (D-Delaware) recently hosted a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing in Essington on jobs and the labor market.

“The state of our unions and our skilled labor force in Delaware County is strong,” Delloso said. “Unfortunately, the region just suffered a hit with the closing of Philadelphia Energy Solutions and a loss of most of its 1,100 jobs. We’ve seen the closing of, what was, the largest refining complex on the East Coast. So as much as we’d like to report progress, we can’t report progress at the rate we want to see.”

Lawmakers from across the state, including Policy Committee Chairman Mike Sturla (D-Lancaster), participated in the hearing.

“As we’ve heard today, there’s no reason why this region of the state should not be a logistics hub for the entire Northeast,” Sturla said. “The region has the infrastructure and workforce in place for even more economic growth.”

Testifiers before the committee included Bill Gross, director of the Bureau of Mediation for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, and local labor leaders.

The meeting was part of a series held across Pennsylvania on the House Democrats’ Plan4PA.