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Author: Ariana Perez-Castells

  • American Airlines faces lawsuit over flight attendant wages in Philadelphia

    American Airlines faces lawsuit over flight attendant wages in Philadelphia

    An American Airlines flight attendant who works out of the Philadelphia International Airport is suing the airline, alleging that flight attendants aren’t properly paid for all of their time on the job.

    Flight attendants are required to arrive early at the airport and help board and deplane passengers, but these and some other parts of the travel process are not usually counted in payroll and don’t count toward overtime, according to the lawsuit.

    Flight attendant Christopher John filed a complaint in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in October and later moved to federal court in Philadelphia. John is suing on behalf of himself and other flight attendants for American Airlines based out of PHL as far back as October 2022, the complaint said.

    The airline “generally does not credit or pay” flight attendants for the hour or two prior to a flight’s departure time, time spent boarding passengers before a flight and deplaning them upon arrival, or time spent traveling on a shuttle to and from hotels on stopover flights.

    All of these activities “fall squarely within their day-to-day job duties,” the complaint reads.

    American Airlines has argued that the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act — which establishes a minimum wage and overtime rate in the state — does not apply to this case because the flight attendants have a union contract that outlines pay practices.

    American Airlines said in a motion to dismiss the case that the state law “expressly exempts ‘employe[es] of an air carrier’ from its overtime requirements if their ‘hours of work, wages, and overtime compensation’ are governed by a collective bargaining agreement.”

    American Airlines flight attendants are represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. A recent union contract for those employees started in September 2024 and ends in September 2029. As of last year, the union represented some 28,000 American Airlines flight attendants.

    The attorney for the flight attendant, Peter Winebrake, declined to comment on the case. Lawyers for American Airlines at O’Melveny & Myers did not immediately provide a comment.

    American Airlines travelers wait for assistance on a morning in August 2024 when many flights were canceled due to severe weather in Florida.

    How are flight attendants compensated?

    Typically, flight attendants — regardless of their airline — have not been paid for time before the plane closes its doors, such as when boarding travelers. (Airlines have argued that the time spent on the ground is compensated because of the pay structure that promises a minimum of one hour paid flight time for every two hours of duty.)

    But that’s beginning to change at some airlines.

    Last year, American Airlines flight attendants secured a contract including pay for time spent boarding passengers, and Delta started partially compensating employees for this time in 2022.

    In August, Air Canada flight attendants went on strike for three days amid contract negotiations in which they sought to secure pay for time spent working on the ground before a plane takes off or after it lands. Flight attendants rejected a tentative agreement in September, with a union leader saying the airline did not bargain in good faith on wages.

    In the U.S., flight attendants must get permission from the federal government in order to strike.

    American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest carrier at PHL, carrying nearly 20 million passengers through the airport in 2024.

    The airline is the ninth largest employer in Philadelphia County, according to the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. The median pay of flight attendants in the U.S. was $67,130 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    American Airlines employs over 10,000 people in the Philadelphia area, including 2,567 flight attendants, according to the company’s website.

    Staff reporter Abraham Gutman contributed to this article.

  • Commuting to work in Philadelphia takes longer than in most large cities in the U.S.

    Commuting to work in Philadelphia takes longer than in most large cities in the U.S.

    The average commute in Philadelphia takes longer than in most large U.S. cities — and it’s gotten slightly worse recently.

    In 2024, commuters spent on average 33.2 minutes getting to work in the city, according to a new report from Yardi Kube, a digital management platform for coworking spaces. That’s more than the national average and a 2.1-minute increase from the previous year.

    The increase in Philadelphia also reflects a larger national trend, according to the report. The average American’s commute time inched up in 2024 by nearly half a minute, to 27.2 minutes. Still, that’s less time than the average worker spent in transit to their job in 2019.

    Meanwhile, Philadelphia faced some of the worst traffic congestion in the country last year, and public transit has confronted several challenges this year that caused disruption for commuters.

    Commuters at a bus stop at 15th Street and JFK Boulevard on a cold December morning in Philadelphia.

    The increase in Philadelphia and beyond comes as employers have increasingly called workers back to in-person work, reversing trends toward hybrid or remote arrangements during the pandemic. The report notes that as the number of Americans working from home has decreased, the average time spent commuting has inched up.

    “Across the United States, how people get to work — and how often they do — continues to evolve,” the report reads.

    “The rise of remote and hybrid work dramatically reshaped commuting habits, leading to sharp declines in travel times during the pandemic years,” it said. ”Yet as more employees return to the office, commute durations are climbing again, in some cases more quickly than before.”

    The report is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. It took into consideration the 50 largest cities based on the size of their population and evaluated the time spent commuting for a one-way trip, regardless of mode of transportation.

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    While Philadelphia’s average commute lengthened from 2023 to 2024, it’s still shorter than the average of 34.3 minutes in 2019.

    But the region’s public transit system has seen a series of significant challenges this year, rankling commutes for many.

    Amid funding insecurity, SEPTA this year drafted a plan to cut service and began implementing it in August but was ordered to restore service by a judge and ultimately got approval from Gov. Josh Shapiro to use capital funds to sustain service.

    And SEPTA‘s Regional Rail system has encountered significant disruption and delays this fall, as the transit authority was ordered to inspect all of its 50-year-old Silverliner IV train cars following five train fires this year.

    This week, SEPTA averted a worker strike, after coming to an agreement with Transport Workers Union Local 234 over improvements to the employee contract. The union represents some 5,000 SEPTA employees including operators of buses, subways, and trolleys.

    Commuters waiting for SEPTA Regional Rail at Jefferson Station on Oct. 7.

    Other cities with long commutes last year include New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston. New Yorkers spent an average of 40.6 minutes getting to work in 2024, nabbing the worst commute time in the country. Chicago ranked second, with an average of 33.5 minutes in transit last year.

    All of those cities saw an uptick in their commuting time in the past year.

    Among the 50 most populous cities in the country, the places with the shortest commutes are Tulsa, Okla.; Omaha, Neb.; Memphis; Tucson, Ariz.; and Kansas City, Mo. Those cities had average commute times between 19.7 and 21.8 minutes last year.

  • The U.S. Mint unveils new coins for the Semiquincentennial, featuring three Philly landmarks

    The U.S. Mint unveils new coins for the Semiquincentennial, featuring three Philly landmarks

    The U.S. is turning 250 next year, and among its birthday gifts will be newly designed quarters, dimes, and half-dollar coins.

    On Wednesday evening, the U.S. Mint unveiled the new coins at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

    “The designs on these historic coins depict the story of America’s journey toward a ‘more perfect union,’ and celebrate America’s defining ideals of liberty,” said Kristie McNally, the Mint’s acting director. “We hope to offer each American the opportunity to hold our nation’s storied 250 years of history in the palms of their hands as we connect America through coins.”

    Several coins feature Philadelphia-area landmarks.

    Three separate quarter designs include images of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed; the Liberty Bell, housed and managed by the National Park Service in Philadelphia; and a Continental Army soldier at Valley Forge commemorating the Revolutionary War.

    This new design for the quarter commemorates the U.S. Constitution and depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution where signed. The other side of this quarter has a depiction of President James Madison.

    The new dime represents the founding era of the country. Its design includes Liberty depicted as a woman wearing a cap patterned with stars and stripes. The other side of the dime will feature an American eagle, which was on early dimes that circulated in 1796, and it hasn’t appeared on the coin since 1837, according to the U.S Mint.

    In addition to the Philadelphia-area landmarks, the quarters also don images of pilgrims and the Mayflower. The five new quarters reference the Mayflower Compact, the Revolutionary War, The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Gettysburg address, and also feature images of Presidents James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln.

    This new design for the quarter commemorates the Declaration of Independence, and depicts the Liberty Bell, housed in Philadelphia. The other side of this quarter features President Thomas Jefferson.

    The half-dollar coin is intended to look to the future of the country with an image of the Statue of Liberty on one side, and on the other, a torch being passed from her hand to another hand.

    The coins will be produced at the U.S. Mint facilities in Philadelphia and Denver and begin circulating in 2026. The new designs are authorized under legislation signed by President Donald Trump just before he left office in 2021. It noted that these coins can be issued for a one-year period starting in January 2026.

    Historical interpreters Benjamin Franklin (from left) Gen. George Washington, and President Abraham Lincoln are in the audience as the U.S. Mint unveils new coins for the Semiquincentennial at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia Wednesday.

    Philadelphia is expected to see an influx of visitors in 2026 for the Semiquincentennial.

    This year, the U.S. Mint, which had 389 employees in Pennsylvania in 2024 according to federal database FedScope, stopped producing pennies in Philadelphia. The one-cent coins are more expensive to make than they are worth due to inflation and the high cost of metals.

    A newly designed quarter for the 250th anniversary of the country commemorates the time of the Revolutionary War. It depicts a Continental Army soldier at Valley Forge, Pa. The other side of this quarter features President George Washington.
  • Mental health workers in Philadelphia unionize following changes in their workplace and patient care

    Mental health workers in Philadelphia unionize following changes in their workplace and patient care

    Mental health professionals at Rogers Behavioral Health in West Philadelphia have formed a union, citing increased workloads and business changes that diminished patient care.

    The nonprofit mental healthcare provider last year transitioned from individual patient sessions to a group care model, said Tiffany Murphy, a licensed professional counselor and therapist at the facility. Some workers there were also moved from salaried to hourly positions then forced to reduce hours, their union has said.

    Some patients and workers have left amid the changes, says Murphy, estimating that 22 of her colleagues have quit in the past year.

    “A lot of us sort of put our jobs on the line by [unionizing], because we believe in the organization, but more so, we believe in our patients. We wanted to provide the best patient care that we possibly could for them,” said Murphy.

    The 19 West Philadelphia Rogers employees, including therapists and behavioral specialists, filed their petition last month to unionize with the National Union of Healthcare Workers. Rogers voluntarily recognized the union, according to NUHW, marking the union’s first unit in Pennsylvania.

    NUHW represents some 19,000 healthcare workers, primarily in California.

    Sal Rosselli, NUHW president emeritus, said the union is pleased that Rogers accepted the petition. “All too often, employers do the opposite and put together very anti-union campaigns, spending all kinds of patient care dollars to prevent their workers from organizing,” he said.

    The Philadelphia metro area, which also includes Camden and Wilmington, has the fifth-highest number of working therapists among U.S. metros, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This region employs just over 500 therapists, with average salary of $79,510.

    A spokesperson for Rogers declined to comment on employees’ organizing efforts and remarks on workplace changes.

    Rogers provides addiction treatment and mental healthcare with facilities in 10 states. In Philadelphia, the nonprofit offers outpatient treatment and partial hospitalization, treating patients with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

    In recent years, Rogers workers in California also unionized with NUHW. Their recently forged union contract includes caseload limits and a cap on how many newly admitted patients can be assigned to each therapist or nurse.

    Thousands of healthcare workers in the Philadelphia area have moved to unionize in recent years.

    Within the past few years, residents at Penn Medicine and the Rutgers University health system finalized their first contracts with their health systems, and attending doctors at ChristianaCare became the first group of post-training physicians in the region to unionize. Residents at Temple University Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, ChristianaCare, and Jefferson’s Einstein Healthcare Network also voted to unionize in early 2025. Residents at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia narrowly voted against joining a union.

    The organizing push means that about 81% of the city’s resident physicians are unionized.

    What do workers want?

    When Murphy first started working at the Rogers facility in Philadelphia 4½ years ago, she said there was “a really good work-life balance.”

    At the time, clinicians had four patients per day, provided individualized care, and led group sessions. As the organization moved toward group counseling, she said, caseloads have grown, with up to 12 patients in each group.

    The organization hired behavioral specialists to support therapists, said Murphy, but “it was difficult to provide the patients with the care that they really needed and deserved with the new structure.”

    Some patients and staff left because of the new model, said Murphy.

    This year, some salaried workers were switched to hourly, and Rogers started sending workers home due to low patient demand, leaving the rest with larger workloads, according to the union. That meant some used paid time off to avoid going without pay, said Murphy.

    When Philadelphia Rogers employees heard their colleagues in California were unionizing, “That became a bit enticing to us,” said Murphy, noting the workplace had become challenging and sometimes “unbearable.”

    Now, she says, the union members want more manageable caseloads — or pay increases to account for the larger caseloads — and a return to the old pay model for those who were switched to hourly work.

    “We are unionizing to have a voice at work that will allow us to promote a healthier work-life balance as well as high-quality sustainable patient care,” therapist Sara Deichman said in a union news release.

    Where else have mental health workers unionized?

    The organizing in Philadelphia comes as the U.S. faces a shortage of mental healthcare professionals, and in the wake of a demand surge from the pandemic.

    “The industry is forcing fewer providers to care for more and more patients because the focus is on the bottom line,” said Rosselli.

    Staffing concerns plague the healthcare industry generally, said Rebecca Givan, an associate professor at Rutgers University’s School of Management and Labor Relations.

    “If the facility wants to hold down costs, it tries to keep staffing levels as low as possible,” said Givan. “In the case of mental health providers, it can be about shortening appointment times or increasing caseloads so that each provider has a very large number of cases or clients.”

    She says there’s not “a huge amount of union representation” in stand-alone behavioral health facilities, but some public hospitals are unionized.

    Private practice mental health workers can’t unionize because they’re self employed, Givan noted, but “one could argue that they might benefit from collectively negotiating, for example, with the insurance companies that determine their reimbursement rates.”

    NUHW is leading efforts to organize independent providers. The goal, Rosselli says, is to “establish an employer for them so that they can have leverage against insurance companies to increase pay and increase access to patient care issues.”

    The union has already done this in the home care industry in California, Rosselli noted.

    Staff reporter Aubrey Whelan contributed to this article.

  • Amazon is testing out 30-minute delivery in Philadelphia

    Amazon is testing out 30-minute delivery in Philadelphia

    Amazon delivery is getting faster in Philadelphia.

    The online retailer is testing out a new delivery model that aims to get items to customers in 30 minutes or less. The service, which is being called Amazon Now, was announced on Dec. 1 and will be available only in areas of Philadelphia and Seattle.

    “Building on our decades of delivery innovation, we’re now testing an ultrafast delivery offering of the items customers want and need most urgently in parts of Seattle and Philadelphia,” the company said in a news release.

    The service seems comparable to those offered by DoorDash and Gopuff, which allow consumers to purchase food and retail items to be delivered to their homes same-day.

    Customers in areas where the new program is offered will see an option in their Amazon app or webpage navigation bar for “30-Minute Delivery.”

    Thousands of items are eligible for the service, according to the company, including produce, milk, eggs, diapers, and over-the-counter medicine.

    Prime members will pay at least $3.99 for quick delivery, while the fee for nonmembers starts at $13.99. Customers will also incur an additional fee of $1.99 if their order is worth less than $15.

    “Amazon is utilizing specialized smaller facilities designed for efficient order fulfillment, strategically placed close to where Seattle- and Philadelphia-area customers live and work,” notes the news release.

    “This approach prioritizes the safety of employees picking and packing orders, reduces the distance delivery partners need to travel, and enables faster delivery times,” the company said.

    Amazon’s quick delivery model has changed how consumers shop, in part setting the expectation of a quick shopping process and fast delivery — and Philadelphians are no exception.

    When Amazon launched same-day delivery in 2009, Philadelphia was among the first cities elected to roll out the service. At the time, the company already offered two-day delivery on orders, which was available to Prime members for no extra cost after their $79 annual subscription. The same-day delivery service, when it was announced, cost an additional $6 per item.

    Prime members today pay $14.99 a month or $139 for a year and get access to free delivery. Amazon saw an increase in Prime membership during the pandemic and has said this year that it offers over 300 million items eligible for delivery with the program compared to 1 million in 2005 when the model first got its start.

    The company also continues to expand its network. In April, Amazon announced that it was investing more than $4 billion to broaden delivery in more rural parts of the country.

  • $78.6 million Cape May-Lewes hybrid ferry expected to begin construction in 2026

    $78.6 million Cape May-Lewes hybrid ferry expected to begin construction in 2026

    A $78.6 million ferry, slated to join the fleet of vessels connecting Cape May and Lewes is one step closer to getting built. It will be the first hybrid ferry on the three-ship line that operates between the two beach destinations in New Jersey and Delaware.

    The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) announced Tuesday that it had awarded the contract to build the ferry to Rhode Island-based Senesco Marine. The DRBA owns and manages the ferry line, which operates year-round.

    Once built, the diesel-hybrid ship is expected to accommodate up to 75 vehicles and 400 passengers.

    “For sustainable ferry operations in the future, it’s imperative we make this necessary capital investment today,” said DBRA executive director Joel Coppadge. “The ferry’s a critical piece of regional infrastructure, and we’re proud of the ferry’s heritage and link between two historic destinations. The new hybrid ferry is the start of the next chapter in the proud history of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.”

    A rendering of the $78.6 million ferry that is slated to join the fleet of vessels connecting Cape May and Lewes.

    The Rhode Island firm tasked with building the ferry has been operating since 1999 and works both on new construction and vessel repairs. Construction is set to begin next year and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2029. The project is funded in part by a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    The new ferry will replace a diesel craft that’s over 40 years old. Currently three ferries operate between Cape May and Lewes.

    The new ship will have fewer emissions and be more cost-efficient, according to the DRBA.

    Annually, the ferry line transports some 750,000 passengers and over 250,000 vehicles, according to James Salmon, a spokesperson for the DRBA. That number has declined over the years — roughly 1.1 million passengers used the ferry line in 2007.

    A rendering of the interior of the new ferry, which is expected to begin construction in 2026 and be complete by 2029.

    “The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is a vital transportation link and an economic catalyst for the southern regions of Delaware and New Jersey,” said Heath Gehrke, director of ferry operations, noting that some passengers use the service to commute to work.

    Adults pay between $14 and $18 roundtrip depending on the season to make the roughly 85-minute trip. For a vehicle, it costs between $39 and $82 roundtrip depending on the time of year and day of the week. Bicycles can be brought onboard for free with the purchase of a passenger ticket, and there is separate pricing for motorcycles and scooters.

    A rendering of the $78.6 million hybrid ferry slated to join the fleet of vessels connecting Cape May and Lewes.
  • Philadelphia Whole Foods workers filed for a union a year ago. Here’s what’s holding up their contract.

    Philadelphia Whole Foods workers filed for a union a year ago. Here’s what’s holding up their contract.

    Nearly a year after Philadelphia Whole Foods workers voted to form a union, becoming the first group in the grocery chain to do so, their union’s ability to move forward and negotiate a contract is locked in a procedural standstill.

    The Monday before Thanksgiving, workers and supporters gathered outside the Pennsylvania Avenue store, holding signs that read “Amazon-Whole Foods: Treat workers with respect & dignity!” Nearby, an inflatable “fat cat,” used by labor organizers and often denoting a person who uses wealth to exert power, stood tall outside the Whole Foods store.

    Edward Dupree, who has been employed at Whole Foods for over nine years and works in the produce department at the Philadelphia store, told the crowd that in the 1970s, unionized grocery employees could maintain a middle-class family, but today workers are facing rising housing and healthcare costs as well as uncertainty in the economy.

    “There’s been a concerted effort by billionaire business class — folks like [Amazon and Whole Foods owner] Jeff Bezos — to crush working class power by fighting unions like this,” said Dupree. “For 50 years, we’ve seen the worsening of living standards in tandem with the drop of unionization rates. It’s been long due for us to stand up for one another and fight back for a better future.”

    Workers at the Philadelphia grocery store filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board in November 2024 and made history in January as the first company store to successfully vote to unionize.

    Employees want the company to begin negotiating a first contract, but for now, the case is at a standstill. Whole Foods has challenged the union election, and resolution of the issue lies with the National Labor Relations Board, which for months has been without the required quorum to make a decision since President Donald Trump fired a board member.

    “We want Whole Foods to do what they’re obligated to do. What’s right to do is sit down and bargain a contract,” said Wendell Young IV, president of UFCW Local 1776, the union that Whole Foods workers elected to join. “We understand there’s a give and take in that process, but that’s from both sides. They’re refusing to even sit down and begin those discussions for a contract.”

    An inflatable fat cat is seen outside the Whole Foods at 2101 Pennsylvania Ave. on Nov. 24, marking a year since workers first filed their intention to form a union with the National Labor Relations Board.

    Why is the Whole Foods case at a standstill?

    Whole Foods raised multiple objections to the worker union election earlier this year including alleging that the union promised employees would get a 30% raise if they voted for a union.

    In May, the National Labor Relations Board’s regional director dismissed the challenge by Whole Foods, but the company asked for that decision to be reviewed. The union, for its part, has tried to block that review, but the board can’t make a decision either way without the required quorum.

    “As previously stated, we strongly disagree with the regional director’s conclusion, and as demonstrated throughout the hearing earlier this year, including with firsthand testimony from various witnesses, the UFCW 1776 illegally interfered with our team members’ right to a fair vote at our Philly Center City store,” a spokesperson for Whole Foods Market said via email.

    A union spokesperson said via email that they must wait until the board again has at least three members to review the case and added, “We expect that we will be successful at that time.”

    Young, the president of the union local, has said in the meantime that the company is hiding behind the situation at the NLRB “to refuse to bargain.”

    Edward Dupree, a Whole Foods worker, gathers with colleagues and supporters outside on Nov. 24 asking that the company come to the bargaining table and negotiate a first contract.

    In the 1960s and into the 1970s, when it was not uncommon in the U.S. to see grocery workers strike or threaten to, Republicans and Democrats in office understood that unions were a permanent part of the economy, said Francis Ryan, a labor history professor at Rutgers University who has been a member of UFCW local 1776. The NLRB “provided some balance between the company and the union,” acknowledging that both parties “had an important role to play in our society,” he said.

    “What we have in more recent years is a much more polarized political context, where the National Labor Relations Board is sometimes stocked with people who are aggressively anti-union,” said Ryan.

    The Trump administration firing an official at the NLRB and not replacing them “is a deliberate attempt to make the process of collective bargaining and also organizing much more difficult,” said Ryan, adding that this is playing out in the case of Whole Foods.

    Whole Foods workers and supporters outside the Center City grocery store on Nov. 24.

    UFCW Local 1776, which Whole Foods workers in Philadelphia elected to join, represents thousands of workers across Pennsylvania and neighboring states in drugstores and food processing facilities, among other areas of work. The union represents grocery employees at ShopRite, Acme, and the Fresh Grocer.

    Under the ownership of Amazon, the quality of work life at Whole Foods has deteriorated, said Young, adding that the company has unrealistic expectations and doesn’t compensate workers fairly in terms of wages, healthcare, retirement security.

    “These people have no say in any of that — and that’s what led them to organize,” he said.

    Whole Foods has said employee benefits include 20% off in-store items, as well as a 401(k) plan that offers a company match. The company also says it evaluates wages to ensure it is offering a competitive rate.

    The number of unionized workers at grocery stores grew in the 1950s and 1960s in large part because areas of the U.S. were becoming more suburban and adding new grocery stores in the process, according to Ryan.

    “You had thousands of workers in these new supermarkets that were unionized, and they made the retail clerks union one of the largest unions in the United States by the time you get to the 1970s — and Philadelphia was one of the real centers of supermarket unionization.”

    It wasn’t unusual in the 1960s and 1970s for someone to make a living as a supermarket worker, although it was not uncommon for workers to have more than one job, said Ryan. In some cases, workers would stay at a grocery store for decades, he says, where they made decent wages and had a stable job indoors, adding that between 1965 and 1975 the wages of retail workers in Philadelphia nearly doubled.

    Since then, it’s become much harder to make a living overall in the service industry, says Ryan.

    But having unionized grocery stores amid other nonunion stores today can help shape the economy of the industry, says Ryan. A business that wants to maintain a nonunionized workforce might try to pay their workers the same starting rate that union workers make in wages, for example.

    Unionized grocery stores “have a hidden-planet kind of role: They have this gravitational pull on the industry that actually raises conditions for everyone,” Ryan said.

    While the Whole Foods store in Philadelphia is the first of the company’s locations to vote to form a union, others seem to be following.

    “We now have active organizing going on, not only in other Whole Food stores in the area and around the country, but other grocery stores,” said Young.

  • Nobody likes rejection. Here’s how to soften the blow, per a new Temple study.

    Nobody likes rejection. Here’s how to soften the blow, per a new Temple study.

    Not all rejections are the same.

    How they’re communicated matters, according to a recent study by Sunil Wattal, associate dean of research and doctoral programs at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

    Wattal found that users of an online forum, Stack Overflow, were more likely to return after their submissions were rejected if they had received a detailed reason for their rejection.

    Stack Overflow has been known for “treating its contributors harshly” because of its “rigorous quality control,” the study said, but in 2013, its rejection notice language changed to be more explanatory. Wattal compared the before and after and found that new users were more likely to return when they knew more about why their submission was rejected.

    Wattal’s findings were recently published in the study “Not Good Enough, but Try Again! The Impact of Improved Rejection Communications on Contributor Retention and Performance in Open Knowledge Collaboration.” The coauthor of the study is Aleksi Aaltonen of the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.

    While Wattal’s study focused on rejection in one online platform, he says the findings could apply in many other settings. The Inquirer spoke with him about the implications for rejection in the workplace. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

    What was your main finding?

    We found overall that the platform was better off — that Stack Overflow is better off — because it increased the quantity of the postings but did not decrease the quality. So there was no significant impact on the quality of posting. The net effect is the platform gained more content without really losing any quality.

    So you found that people returned more often if they were told why they were being rejected.

    Yes, the likelihood of returning was much higher if they were told more clearly why they were being rejected.

    Obviously nobody likes rejection, but sometimes, if they feel that they know the reason why it was rejected and they get a sense that they were being treated fairly, I think that kind of softens the blow in a way.

    What can your findings tell us about communicating rejection in the workplace, such as not getting hired or getting laid off?

    You see rejection in all kinds of different applications — in business, in society. Rejections are everywhere.

    E-commerce sites like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, every now and then, they encounter a product which doesn’t comply with either the ethical standards or for some other reason, and they have to take down some of those listings. Or even in companies, somebody thinks they come with a great idea, and their boss just says, No, this is not great.

    Even in those cases, I think it really helps if you give them an explanation of why their idea was rejected, and it encourages them to come back in the future and still be engaged with either the organization or the website.

    In customer service, sometimes people have to hear a “no,” that their complaint isn’t legitimate, or they’re not getting that refund. In those cases, communicating well and giving a more informative explanation of why they’re being denied is always a good idea.

    In your study with Stack Overflow, that platform wants users to keep coming back to the website to contribute to the online forum, so there’s a vested interest in sending a rejection notice that would get people to return. In business, what kind of incentive does an employer have to explain a rejection?

    In the case of, say, for example, job postings, maybe that applicant was not a good fit with that particular posting, but they could still be valuable to the company in a different role.

    It’s not a good idea, basically, to burn bridges, and it doesn’t cost a whole lot to be nice or to give a decent explanation. In terms of the cost-benefit analysis even, it’s always a good idea to give a more informative explanation just to maintain the relationship.

    Does it matter whether it’s a human that’s delivering a rejection notice, versus a computer or automated response, in terms of the outcome?

    There’s a lot of work going on right now about exactly these things, like: How do people feel about interacting with computers when computers make decisions that affect their lives in some way? I’m not sure exactly if anybody has studied rejections by computers, but I would expect that there would be some difference in the way people take rejection from humans versus computers.

    Some companies use applicant tracking systems for hiring, which screen applicants and filter candidates out. And we know that some applicants never hear back about their application. Can your study tell us anything about the effect of ghosting?

    Especially in some cases where companies receive tens of thousands of applications [for just a few open roles], probably, from a very myopic perspective, they don’t care about a lot of them. But again, from an overall brand perspective, it doesn’t take a whole lot to send out that rejection in a timely way, in a way that seems fair, to explain why it was rejected — maybe there were other better applicants, or it was not the right fit. People want to know so that they can maybe improve in the future.

  • Trail project planned near King of Prussia Mall gets new funding

    Trail project planned near King of Prussia Mall gets new funding

    A trail planned in Montgomery County is getting new funding to take the project to the next step.

    The “Gulph Road Connector,” as it is currently called, is slated to connect to the Chester Valley Trail near the King of Prussia Mall, cross through Valley Forge National Historical Park, and link with the Schuylkill River Trail when completed.

    The project was recently awarded a three-year $326,900 grant from the William Penn Foundation, which will begin in January, said Eric Goldstein, president and CEO of the King of Prussia District, which is leading the project. The official name of the trail has not been determined.

    The influx of funds is slated for education, advocacy, and marketing, said Goldstein, who noted that the foundation is supporting “efforts to build a coalition of advocates” for the trail. The money will not be used for design or construction.

    Segments of the planned 2.8-mile trail connector are in stages of design and construction, with some already built, Goldstein said.

    “What we’re trying to do is ultimately fill in the blanks to make the 2.8-mile section complete,” he said.

    Goldstein said the new funds will allow the King of Prussia District to work with different partners along the trail. The aim is to build a coalition and raise awareness of the proposed trail, which ideally would lead to more grant money down the line for design and construction, he said.

    Map of the planned Gulph Road Connector trial near King of Prussia.

    The new funding is “the impetus for this trail to start moving toward completion,” said Molly Duffy, executive director of the Valley Forge Park Alliance, a partner organization in the trail’s development.

    There is no estimate yet for the total cost of the project, Goldstein said.

    The project is part of the Circuit Trails, a regional network that aims to have more than 850 miles of trails through nine counties. Once the trail is built out, Goldstein said, he expects it will be managed by multiple entities, depending on the section.

    He hopes to be able to complete the trail in the next 10 years.

    Some parts of the trail are “enormously complex,” he noted, adding that pedestrian bridges over sections of highway would require complex engineering and be costly — which requires raising funds.

    While the trail is expected to be used for recreation, it could also be an option for commuting to work.

    “The second audience of this proposed trail network is employees that work in Upper Merion Township that are seeking alternative modes of transportation to get to and from work,” he said.

    The trail also could make Valley Forge National Historical Park more accessible by ways other than driving, Duffy said.

    “We want people to be able to get here,” Duffy said. “Knowing where this is — in this super densely populated suburban area — we know that there’s this missing link, really, between these two major trails that, once built, will literally connect thousands and thousands of people who live in the area, work in the area, are visiting the area.”

  • Thousands of Penn graduate student workers could soon strike

    Thousands of Penn graduate student workers could soon strike

    Graduate student workers at the University of Pennsylvania have voted to strike if their union calls for it, as they work toward a first contract with better pay and benefits.

    The graduate students, who research and teach at the university, voted to unionize last year, after two decades of organizing attempts.

    The union’s total membership is about 3,400, and 2,416 participated in the strike vote. Of them, 92% voted in favor of calling a strike if needed to reach an agreement.

    “As the city of Philadelphia’s largest employer and a world-class research institution, Penn must do better by the workers that ensure its continued success,” Katelyn Friedline, a bargaining committee member and Ph.D. student, said at a news conference earlier this month.

    The union, Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania (GET-UP) is part of the United Auto Workers (UAW), which represents groups of university workers across the country, including Penn postdoctoral researchers and research associates who voted to unionize in July.

    The strike vote comes amid a wave of labor actions across Penn and other campuses. During contract negotiations in 2023, Temple University graduate workers went on strike for 42 days. The same year, Rutgers University educators, researchers, and clinicians walked off the job for a week.

    Since 2023, resident assistants at Penn, Temple, Drexel University, and Swarthmore College have also unionized. This month, graduate student workers also voted to form a union at Pennsylvania State University.

    GET-UP has been bargaining with Penn since October 2024, but sticking points include wages, healthcare coverage, and more support for international student workers.

    Hilah Kohen, a Ph.D. student in comparative literature, and hundreds of supporters march into College Hall during a GET-UP rally in October 2023.

    A strike would be disruptive, said Sam Schirvar, a Ph.D. candidate in history and sociology of science, and would be a “last resort” for the union.

    “A work stoppage would really inhibit the basic teaching and research functions of Penn, and would make it very difficult for it to operate as it does as an academic institution,” said Schirvar, who has been organizing with the union for over five years.

    A university spokesperson, Ron Ozio, said via email on Thursday that Penn has been bargaining in good faith with the union.

    “We believe that a fair contract for the union and Penn can be achieved without a work stoppage, but we are prepared in the event that the union membership votes to authorize a strike,” said Ozio.

    What are graduate workers asking for?

    “There’s still a lot of room between the kinds of things that we’re calling for and the kinds of things that management is proposing,” said Schirvar.

    Wages

    The majority of the bargaining unit is made up of Ph.D. students who are paid an annual stipend, while workers pursuing master’s degrees receive hourly pay.

    Stipend workers make a minimum of about $39,000 annually, and hourly workers have no university minimum, Schirvar said.

    In its most recent proposal, the university offered $19 an hour for hourly employees and a minimum of $44,000 for the annual stipend starting in July 2026. The union is asking for a minimum wage of $37 an hour for those paid hourly and $55,500 for those on an annual stipend upon ratification of the contract.

    “While we’re asking for these things because it would make meaningful and life changing differences in our own individual lives, it also helps keep Penn a competitive, world-class institution,” said Friedline.

    Healthcare improvements

    The union is asking for the university to cover the full cost of health insurance for graduate student workers including dental, vision, and dependent coverage. The university already pays full healthcare benefits for graduate student workers, and some dental reimbursements depending on their department, said Friedline.

    Support for international students

    The union is also asking for more protections for international student workers on visas, who represent roughly a third of the bargaining unit, said Friedline. That support is important at this time, Friedline said, “amidst a national anti-immigrant political climate.”

    The union wants Penn to reimburse up to $3,000 of immigration expenses, bar immigration enforcement agents from entering nonpublic areas of campus unless legally required to, and alert the union if access is granted for a search or arrest warrant.

    Guruprerana Shadadi, a second-year Ph.D. student in the computer science department and an international graduate worker from India, said he had to cover the costs of moving to the U.S. before getting his first paycheck from the university, which included visa expenses.

    “I was lucky enough to be able to afford this, but I know several international graduate workers who found it extremely hard to go through this process,” he said. “Receiving a livable wage and higher stipends would go a long way for international students who literally have to start from zero to set up their lives here when they move to the United States.”

    University of Pennsylvania graduate students held a news conference and rally calling for a strike vote Nov. 3.

    Vacation days

    The union is asking for 20 paid vacation days and 20 sick days in a year. University leadership has said that this proposal exceeds what full-time staff get in their first few years. The university has proposed five paid days off per fiscal year and noted in a proposal that workers can “request flexibility in scheduling” when sick.

    Penn doesn’t currently have a centralized paid time-off policy for graduate student workers, and employees may be grading student work, preparing teaching materials, or working in a lab during the university’s academic breaks, said Schirvar.

    Why are graduate students organizing now?

    The academic job market has changed in recent decades, said Adrienne Eaton, a distinguished professor in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. In the past, graduate student workers might have been more willing to get paid less, knowing that time would ensure they could get good jobs later on.

    “You could kind of sacrifice those wages, that salary for a while, because you were pretty sure that when you finished, you were going to be able to get a tenure track job — and that just hasn’t been true, probably more like 20 years, depending on what field you’re in,” she said.

    Meanwhile, the cost of living has risen, said Eaton. “Those stipends that used to be kind of OK, I think, have gotten to be viewed as much more inadequate.”

    Whether or not Penn graduate workers actually strike, Eaton noted that passing a strike authorization vote typically sends a message.

    “It’s a leverage tool in bargaining to kind of let the employer know we’re serious about this, and you need to be serious about what you’re doing at the bargaining table,” she said.