Public employees ready for continued action following late PA budget passage

Members of AFSCME Council 13 join their fellow Pennsylvanians in relief following the passage of our 2025-26 state budget. 

While it is unfortunate that it took over four months to reach a deal, a state budget is vital to economic stability and public safety, and it is good to finally have a fiscal road map in place. 

We are grateful for the funding of state agencies, public schools, and municipalities included in this budget that will allow AFSCME members to continue delivering vital public services to the communities that rely on us. 

It is also positive to see solid funding for childcare, home health care, and nursing homes, as well as investments in corrections, veteran services, and affordable food programs. 

However, we are deeply disappointed that this budget agreement once again did not include a Cost-Of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for pre-Act 9 retirees. This is an aging population of retired state workers who gave so much of their life to public service yet have gone over two decades without an increase. 

Council 13 members working in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) have been calling for strong, strategic investment to strengthen our state-owned universities, support students, and stabilize the workforce. With enrollment down by roughly 30,000 students over the last decade, PASSHE needs bold action from lawmakers—not another year of flat funding. This budget missed an opportunity to shore up one of Pennsylvania’s most important higher-education systems. Our union will continue pushing for the resources, staffing, and long-term commitment needed to keep PASSHE campuses vibrant, competitive, and fully equipped to serve students and communities.

It is reassuring to see in this budget deal no new taxes and Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund untouched, but the lack of new revenue streams is concerning. Legislators must explore revenue options such as taxation of skill games and recreational marijuana. 

Now that a budget deal has been reached, Council 13 urges legislators to focus on other important policies that have been held up alongside the budget in the Republican-controlled State Senate. 

We demand action on House Bill 308 (Public Sector OSHA), House Bill 411 (COLA for SERS and PSERS), House Bill 453 (Defining Dispatchers as First Responders), House Bill 926 (Healthcare Workplace Violence Prevention Act), House Bill 956 (Protecting Public Employees from Violence), and House Bill 64 (Protecting Workers from Captive Audience Meetings).