EMPLOYMENT LAW

In our mission to create a better business climate, the PA Chamber is committed to advancing legislation that encourages employers to locate and expand in the Commonwealth and attract new investment and jobs. This includes ensuring that policies relating to the workforce are fair to both employers and employees, while opposing any efforts to place undue laws and regulatory burdens on the business community that act as a barrier to job growth.

PA Chamber Opposes FTC Rule Banning Noncompete Agreements

April 24, 2024 | Michael Plummer

HARRISBURG – Today, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President and CEO Luke Bernstein released the following statement in response to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent vote to ban employer noncompete agreements: “The FTC has neither the statutory authority nor a sensible reason to attempt to ban noncompete agreements,” Bernstein said. “Employers will often […]

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PA Chamber Statement on Gov. Shapiro’s PLA Directive

March 29, 2024 | Michael Plummer

HARRISBURG – Today, PA Chamber Senior Vice President for Government Affairs Alex Halper released the following statement in response to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recent announcement of a new directive for the use of Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) for state projects. PLAs typically require private companies to commit to using unionized labor as a prerequisite to […]

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Bad For Business: State House Advances Trio of Overreaching Proposals

May 08, 2023

Last week, House lawmakers advanced several bills with the potential to significantly impact Pennsylvania employers: H.B. 950 Would amend the state constitution for the stated purpose of prohibiting future lawmakers from enacting “Right to Work” legislation, which guarantees that individuals cannot be forced to join or contribute financially to a union as a condition of […]

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Court Rules in Favor of Biden Administration ‘Large’ Employer Vaccine Rule

December 20, 2021

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last Friday that the Biden Administration could proceed with its COVID-19 vaccine or testing requirement for employers with 100 or more employees. This proposal, first promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in early November, had been enjoined by an earlier court decision. Plaintiffs have already appealed […]

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PA Chamber Statement on Biden Administration Vaccination and Testing Mandates

September 10, 2021 | Lindsay Andrews

PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s announcement that he is mandating employee vaccination or weekly testing at businesses with 100 or more employees: “The Pennsylvania Chamber will be examining the full scope of these orders, to evaluate their impact on a private sector that has […]

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State & Federal Political Recap

August 02, 2021

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Advances in Senate After weeks of negotiation, the Senate began consideration of the INVEST in America Act– the bipartisan infrastructure bill.  If passed, the $1T bill  is expected to be followed by additional legislation spending nearly $3.5T on spending priorities favored by progressive Democrat lawmakers, but which is facing opposition from moderate […]

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White House Signs Executive Order Banning Certain Business Practices

July 12, 2021

President Biden on Friday signed a sweeping executive order that could have profound impacts on employers, including policies that target specific industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, banking and telecommunications. According to a fact sheet distributed by the White House, the executive order directs more than a dozen federal agencies to pursue 72 initiatives, ranging from […]

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Admin Code Officially Law, Codifies Repeal of Wolf Administration’s Overtime Rule

July 12, 2021

Governor Wolf opted to neither sign nor veto H.B. 336, the Administrative Code bill that is one of four bills accompanying the state budget passed in late June.  Without action by the governor, legislation passing the General Assembly becomes law after 10 days. Among the bill’s key provisions was a one-sentence entry worked out as […]

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Employment Policy

Every employer in Pennsylvania is impacted by myriad laws and regulations from multiple levels of government that regulate the workplace and employer/employee relations. The intent behind many such laws and regulations may often be reasonable or constructive, with goals of helping to facilitate a positive work environment and fostering a healthy work/life balance.

Yet, once a policy transitions from concept to requirement the impact can be unpredictable, broader than its purpose, at times detrimental to the very employees whom the policy is intended to benefit and unduly burdensome on employers. This can be particularly relevant to smaller businesses, which comprise the vast majority of employers in Pennsylvania and may not have staff dedicated to interpreting, implementing and administering complex regulations and cumbersome mandates.

Accordingly, the PA Chamber supports employment policies that:

  • Acknowledge the ever-evolving nature of the economy, workforce and technology and recognize that public programs and policy enacted in the past may not be as applicable, appropriate or effective today;
  • Limit excessive, unnecessary or duplicative administrative or paperwork requirements;
  • Promote consistency between federal, state and local laws and existing regulations;
  • Enhance Pennsylvania’s economic competitiveness and incentivize employers to grow their business;
  • Allow for reasonable flexibility for employers tasked with crafting and administering internal human resource policies;
  • Are developed with recognition that well-intentioned public policy can often trigger negative unintended consequences and therefore ought to include protections or other measures that mitigate potential unintended harm;
  • Provide for fair enforcement that directs regulators to assist well-intentioned employers with compliance and focuses punitive actions on repeat or willful violators;
  • When relevant, provide a process for resolving disputes that is fair, prompt and, to the extent possible, limit the financial burden on the employer.

Revised by the Policy Committee in June 2023 and approved by the Board of Directors on August 3, 2023