Employment Issues PDF Print E-mail

Employment
House ethics laws and rules forbid my office from providing recommendations or forwarding resumes for employment opportunities. However, I can provide a list of helpful resources and suggestions to aid your job search.

  • Federal Jobs
    Although many Federal agencies fill their jobs like private industry by allowing applicants to contact the agency directly, the majority are considered Competitive Service Jobs and thus falls under the Office of Personnel Management's jurisdiction. This means they are subject to the civil service laws passed by Congress. These laws require that applicants receive fair and equal treatment in the hiring process. Almost all available federal jobs and information about those specific positions can be found at www.usajobs.gov. This website has other useful features, such as being able to post your resume on-line.
  • One federal agency that is hiring in anticipation of the 2010 Census is the U.S. Census Bureau. You can contact their local recruiter at 215-717-7600. You may also contact (866) 861-2010, recruiting numbers specifically for the 2010 Census. General requirements for employment with the Bureau are:
    • Be a citizen of the United States
    • Speak and write English well.
    •  Pass 30 minute written test.
    • Be willing to work days, evenings, and weekends.
    • Be able to persuade people to participate in surveys.
    • Have a car, valid driver's license, and private telephone line.
    • Complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form, I-9, if hired.
    •  More information can be found at their website: http://www.census.gov/rophi/www/emply.html
    •  

 

State Jobs

  • In most cases there are many ways to qualify for state civil service job titles, such as experience, training, or a combination of the two. The State Civil Service Commission (SCSC) publishes a list of available job titles each month, along with a copy of the “Summary of Civil Service Examinations,” both of which can be accessed on the SCSC Web site at http://www.scsc.state.pa.us by selecting “Job Opportunities.” A paper copy may be obtained at any SCSC or agency recruitment office. The Philadelphia SCSC Commission Office is located at10 South 11th Street, Second Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3618 and can be reached by phone at (215) 560-2253.
  • The first step for applicants interested in any state civil service position is to take the civil service examination and the appropriate job-specific supplement. The monthly “Summary of Civil Service Examinations” will list the examination programs that are currently open for testing to fill vacant positions. Some job titles are continuously open for testing, while others are open for a period each year or so. Tests are administered at the SCSC’s Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia offices Monday through Friday. A test date may be scheduled by the applicant by calling the Philadelphia office at (215) 560-2255, stand-by testing is an option on most testing days based upon “available seating.” 
  • Applicants are also encouraged to apply online by accessing the SCSC Web site. Under the “Apply for Jobs” heading you will be able to create a profile that will be used when applying for a certain job title; however, your qualifications will not be reviewed until after you have taken the exam. Applications in paper form should be submitted to the Harrisburg State Civil Service Commission at:
    •  Strawberry Square Complex
      320 Market Street, P.O. Box 569
      Harrisburg, PA 17108
      Phone (717) 783-3058
  • There are a range of jobs available at this time through the SCSC that may be of interest to you, although you should be aware that certain state agencies such the County Assistance Offices tend to give preference to residents in their county when filling vacancies. However, like any other civil service job, these positions require the completion of a basic Civil Service Examination as well as the job-specific supplement.

 

Career OneStop

  • Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, this site provides tools to help job seekers, students, businesses, and career professionals get immediate help (unemployment benefits, healthcare coverage), find a job, change careers, upgrade skills, pay for school, and prepare a resume.
  • For information about jobs, training, and career resources call 1-877-872-5627 
  • One-Stop Career Centers can help you look for work and offer classes like resume writing. To locate a Career Center visit www.careeronestop.org.
  • For employment, training, and financial help during job transition, visit Career OneStop’s Worker ReEmployment site at http://www.careeronestop.org/ReEmployment/. 

  

 Workforce Investment and Office of Employment and Training

  • The Office of Employment and training provides services through the Workforce Investment Act. They may be reached at:
  • 9 South 69th Street
    3rd Floor
    Upper Darby, PA 19082
    Phone (610) 713-2239

 

 

Pennsylvania Career Link

  • You may request a hard-copy packet of information about services, including Labor Market and Unemployment Benefits information; Partner Employment and Training services; Monthly Listing of job search workshops, such as Interviewing Skills, Resume Writing, Articulating Your Skills, helpful in identifying key skills, qualities and accomplishments essential in successful self-marketing; Stereotypes Confronting the Mid Life Worker which outlines strategies that can be used to combat age discrimination; List of current and upcoming Career Fairs.
  •  You can visit their website at https://www.cwds.state.pa.us or you can visit one of their local offices at:
  •  PA Careerlink Delaware County at Chester City
    701 Crosby Street, Suite B
    Chester, PA 19013-6043
  •  PA Careerlink Delaware County at Media
  •  901 Media Line Rd. Delaware County Community College
    •  Media, PA 19063-1027
      610-723-6000 
      610-447-3350

 

Green Jobs

  • Americangreenjobs.net focuses on bringing together government, business, academic, and nonprofit leaders involved in the identification and development of green jobs and the preparation and training of workers needed to support them. Supported by EPA and the Department of Labor, this web site will serve as the central hub for information dissemination and collaboration among individuals and organizations interested in all aspects of green job development and support. 
  •  A Philadelphia-wide Green Jobs apprenticeship program is also being designed by the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, thanks to a $125,000 Knight Foundation planning grant, The Green Jobs Corps will aim to match basic skills training with employers’ needs and strive to connect local green companies to the region’s workforce.
  •  For more information on the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia, visit www.sbnphiladelphia.org or call (215) 922-7400.

 

Other Organizations

 

 

 

Employment Services for the Disabled

  • Vocational Rehabilitation Services
    1875 New Hope Street
    Norristown, PA 
    19401-3146
  •  The Social Security Administration has programs that may assist you. The Ticket to Work Program and the Trial Work Period are two separate work incentives. Detailed information regarding these two programs and many other work incentives can be found at the Social Security Administration’s work site, www.ssa.gov/work. In the Ticket to Work program, a beneficiary is mailed a ticket that can be assigned, by contacting either an EN (Employment Network or a state Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (VR), filling out the paperwork, which is goes to the Program manager of the Ticket to Work Program, Maximus. A beneficiary who is participating actively in the Ticket to Work Program will not be subject to a medical review. The Trial Work Period (TWP) is another type of work incentive for Social Security Disability beneficiaries. It continues for 9 months (not necessarily consecutive) in which you perform work within a rolling 60 consecutive month period. This rule applies if you earn more than $670 a month, or if you work more than 80 self-employed hours in a month. You would file a work activity report with the local district office when you begin or end work. An Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) is the 36 months following the Trial Work Period, when disability benefits can be restarted without a new application. This is the reentitlement period, when benefits are suspended a month earnings exceed the substantial gainful activity level. Medicare coverage can go for 8 � years after the trial work period if you continue to work, as long as you are still disabled. Disabled recipients of Social Security Benefits may qualify for MAWD (Medical Assistance for the Working Disabled). You can apply at your county assistance office (persons with income below 250% of Federal Poverty Income Guideline may receive Medicaid coverage by a payment of 5% of their income).

 

 Food Stamp Employment and Development Plan

  •  An approved recipient may receive the special allowances to pay for costs to prepare for, seek, accept, or maintain education, training or employment, if not available from educational assistance of another public source, and not generally for secondary education (including vocational).
  •  An approved EDP specifies the activities the recipient participates in for which the supportive services will be provided.
  •  The food stamp office must inform, in writing and orally, about special allowances for supportive services at application, reapplication and whenever the EDP is developed or revises. The food stamp office must assist the participant to obtain supportive services to participate in employment, education, training and job search activities, including activities such as orientation.

 

  •  Cautions
    If you are looking for a job you might come across ads from employment agencies that promise      
  •  Promises to get you a job and guaranteed income
  •  Upfront fees, even when you are guaranteed a refund if you are dissatisfied
  •  Employment agencies whose ads read like job ads
  •  Promotions of “previously undisclosed” government jobs. All federal jobs are announced to the public at www.usajobs.opm.gov

Work-At-Home Companies can also be dangerous. Be sure to ask questions such as:

  • What tasks will I have to perform?
  •  Will I be paid a salary or will my pay be based on commission?
  •  Who will pay me?
  •  When will I get my first paycheck?
  •  What is the total cost of the work-at-home program, including supplies, equipment and membership fees?  
  •  Some multilevel marketing plans are legitimate. However, others are illegal pyramid schemes. In pyramids, commissions are based on the number of distributors recruited. Most of the product sales are made to these distributors, not to consumers in general. The underlying goods and services, which vary from vitamins to car leases, serve only to make the schemes look legitimate. Most people end up with nothing to show for their money except the expensive products or marketing materials they were pressured to buy.
  •  If you are thinking about joining what appears to be a legitimate multilevel marketing plan, take time to learn about the plan.

  

 

Workers Compensation
The information in this section is intended as a general guide for workers injured on the job.  It includes links to the relevant Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act, through the PA Department of Labor and Industry as well as links to the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs through the U.S. Department of Labor. 

State Claims

 Federal Claims

  • Overview
    The Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers four major disability compensation programs which provide wage replacement benefits, medical treatment, Workers Compensation Act vocational rehabilitation, and other benefits to federal workers or their dependents who are injured at work or acquire an occupational disease. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, the Federal Employees' Compensation Program, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Program, and the Black Lung Benefits Program serve the specific employee groups who are covered under the relevant statutes and regulations by mitigating the financial burden resulting from workplace injury. Individuals injured on the job while employed by private companies or state and local government agencies should contact their state workers' compensation board.The Department of Labor has several programs designed to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses. You may obtain information about these programs by visiting the Find It! By Topic Workplace Safety & Health page.
  • Additional Information and Frequently Asked Questions: http://webapps.dol.gov/dolfaq/dolfaqbytopic.asp?topicID=10
  • Contact
    U.S. Department of Labor
    200 Constitution Ave., NW
    Washington, DC 20210
    1-866-4-USA-DOL 
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627
  • Other Benefits
    If the injury is very serious--one where you won’t be able to work for a year or more--you may be eligible for additional disability benefits from Social Security. For information, contact the nearest office of the Social Security Administration.   Federal Workers' Compensation Programs. The following information is from the United States Department of Labor.  For additional information, go online to www.dol.gov, call the National Toll Free Contact Center at 1-866 4 USA DOL (TTY 1 877 889 5627, or write U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constituntion Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

 

Unemployment Compensation

  • The PA Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) oversees Pennsylvania's Unemployment Compensation. You may visit the PA DLI online at: http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=355&q=235210
  • Pending Applications:
    If you have filed an application for UC benefits within the last year, and have a specific question about your claim or your eligibility, call the UC Service center: 1-888-313-7284 or 1-888-334-4046 TTY (deaf or hard of hearing).
  • UC Service Center telephone services are available from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each work day and Sundays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Prospective Applications:
    If you have not filed an application for UC benefits within the last year, and have general questions about UC or you have questions about your UC-1099G (Statement for Recipients of PA UC Payments) provided for income tax purposes, call the Claims Information Center: (717) 783-3140 1-800-577-7216 TTY (deaf or hard of hearing) Claims Information Center telephone services are available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each work day.
  • State Extended Benefits (EB)
    Extended Benefits are additional weeks of unemployment compensation payable to qualified workers when certain adverse economic conditions exist in Pennsylvania. These conditions are based upon the state's unemployment rate reaching a certain level prescribed by the Pennsylvania UC Law. When these conditions exist Statewide, the Department of Labor and Industry declares an Extended Benefit period. On February 21, 2009, a state Extended Benefit period triggered on in Pennsylvania.
  • Extended benefits are payable to qualified individuals only after they have exhausted all rights to regular benefits under the Pennsylvania UC Law and federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation. Extended Benefits are only payable during an Extended Benefit period.
  • During a High Unemployment Period, additional weeks of Extended Benefits are available for a limited time depending upon Pennsylvania’s total unemployment rate. The payment of these additional benefits is contingent upon an individual continuing to meet the regular EB eligibility requirements. More information can be found in the Extended Benefits FAQs links online.
  • State Employees Retirement System  go online to www.sers.state.pa.us    For Employment related questions, call 717 783 8085.  Write to SERS Main Office, 30 North 3rd Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 17101 
  • U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration Information that follows is from www.doleta.gov The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers federal government job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits. These services are primarily provided through state and local workforce development systems. Find Job & Career Information

Federal

  • Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC): Tier 1 and Tier 2
    Federal law provides for the payment of up to 20 weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or EUC, to qualified individuals. Those benefits are known as "Tier 1" EUC. The first payable week of Tier 1 EUC was the week ending July 12, 2008. The EUC law also provides for additional weeks of benefits, called "Tier 2" EUC, for unemployed individuals in states where the unemployment rate reaches a certain level. Because the unemployment rate in Pennsylvania has reached the specified level, Tier 2 EUC is available. The first payable week of Tier 2 EUC is the week ending January 24, 2009. 

Other Resources

  •  Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) for seniors age 55 or over, unemployed with limited income. Call 1717 790 0119 (not toll free) or in Delaware County call COSA.

 

Minimum Wage Information
http://www.dli.state.pa.us.

  • Bureau of Labor Law Compliance Minimum Wage Law Summary:
    • Must be Posted in a Conspicuous Place in Every Pennsylvania Business Governed by the Minimum Wage Act
    • The Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act establishes a fixed Minimum Wage and Overtime Rate for employees. It also sets forth compliance-related duties of the Department of Labor & Industry and of employers. In addition, the Minimum Wage Act provides penalties for noncompliance. This summary is for general information only and is not an official position formally adopted by the Department of Labor & Industry.
    • Overtime Rate: Workers shall be paid 1½ times their  regular rate of pay after 40 hours worked  in a workweek (Except as Described  Below and Within).
    • Minimum Wage Rate: $7.15 per hour Effective July 1, 2007. $7.25 per hour Effective July 24, 2009. (Except as Described Below and Within)
    • Tipped Employees:  An employer may pay a minimum of $2.83 per hour to an employee who makes $30.00 per month in tips. The employer must make up the difference if the tips and $2.83 do not meet the regular Pennsylvania minimum wage.
    • Keeping Records: Every employer must maintain accurate records of each employee's earnings and hours worked, and provide access to Labor & Industry.
    • Penalties: Failure to pay the legal minimum wage or other violations may result in payment of back wages and other civil or criminal action where warranted.
    • Exemptions: Overtime applies to certain employment classifications
    • Special Allowances for: Students, learners and people with disabilities upon application only.
    • Training Wage for Employees Under 20 Years Old: $5.85 per hour Effective July 24, 2007, $6.55 per hour Effective July 24, 2008 only for employees under 20 years old for the first 60 calendar days of employment. After 60 days, the regular Pennsylvania minimum wage must be paid. Employers must notify these employees at the time of hire of this wage and their right to receive the regular Pennsylvania minimum wage after 60 calendar days. Current employees may not be displaced, have their hours reduced or have their wages or employment benefits reduced to allow hiring of persons eleigible for the training wage. This wage may not be used after July 24, 2009.
    • Employees of Businesses with the Equivalent of 10 or Less Full-Time Employees: An employer with the equivalent of 10 or less full-time employees may pay a minimum wage rate according to the following schedule: $6.65 per hour Effective July 1, 2007, $7.15 per hour Effective July 1, 2008 and $7.25 per hour Effective July 24, 2009. 
    • Exemptions from Both Minimum Wage and Overtime Rates
      • Labor on a farm
      • Domestic service in or about the private home of the employe
      • Delivery of newspapers to the consumer
      • Publication of weekly, semi-weekly or daily newspaper with a circulation of less than 4,000 when the major portion of circulation is in the county where published or a bordering county
      • Bona fide executive, administrative or professional capacity, (including academic administrative personnel or teacher in public schools) or in capacity of outside salesman. However, an employee of a retail or service establishment shall not be excluded from the definition of employee employed in a bona fide executive or administrative capacity because of the number of hours in the employee's work not directly or closely related to the performance of executive, professional or administrative activities, if less than 40% of the employee's hours worked in the workweek are devoted to such activities
      • Educational, charitable, religious, or nonprofit organization where no employer-employee relationship exists and service is rendered gratuitously
      • Golf caddy
      • In seasonal employment, if the employee is under 18 years of age or if a student under 24 years of age is employed by a nonprofit health or welfare agency engaged in activities dealing with handicapped or exceptional children or by a nonprofit day or resident seasonal recreational camp for campers under the age of 18 years, which operates for a period of less than three months in any one year
      • In employment by a public amusement or recreational establishment, organized camp, or religious or nonprofit educational conference center, if (i) it does not operate more than seven months a year or (ii) during the preceding calendar year, the average receipts for any 6 months were not more than 33 1/3% of its average receipts for the other 6 months of such year
      • Switchboard operator employed by an independently-owned public telephone company which has no more than 750 station.
      • Employees not subject to civil service laws who hold elective office or are on the personal staff of such an officeholder, are immediate advisers to the officeholder, or are appointed by the officeholder to serve on a policy making level
    • Allowances
      • Wages paid to any employee may include the reasonable cost to the employer of board, lodging and other facilities. This may be considered as part of the minimum wage if the employee is notified of this condition and accepts it as a usual condition of employment at the time of hire or change of classification. The wages, including food credit plus tips, must equal the current minimum wage.
      • Board: Food furnished in the form of meals on an established schedule.
      • Lodging: Housing facility available for the personal use of the employee at all hours.
      • Reasonable Cost: Actual cost, exclusive of profit to the employer or to anyone affiliated with the employer.
    • Exceptions From Minimum Wage Rates
      • Learners and students (bona fide high school or college), after obtaining a Special Certificate from the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, (1301 L&I Bldg., 7th & Forster Sts., Harrisburg, PA 17121) may be paid 85% of the minimum wage as follows:
      • Learners: 40 hours a week. Maximum eight weeks
      • Students: Up to 20 hours a week. Up to 40 hours a week during school vacation periods
      • Individuals with a physical or mental deficiency or injury may be paid less than the applicable minimum wage if a license specifying a rate commensurate with productive capacity is obtained from the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, (1301 L&I Bldg., 7th & Forster Sts., Harrisburg, PA 17121), or a federal certificate is obtained under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act from the U.S. Department of Labor.
    • Exemptions from Overtime Rates
      • A seaman
      • Any salesman, partsman or mechanic primarily engaged in selling and servicing automobiles, trailers, trucks, farm implements or aircraft, if employed by a non-manufacturing establishment primarily engaged in the selling of such vehicles to ultimate purchasers (Example: 51% of business is selling as opposed to 49% in servicing such vehicles)
      • Taxicab driver
      • Any employee of a motor carrier the Federal Secretary of Transportation has power to establish qualifications and maximum hours of service under 49 U.S.C. 3102 (b)(1) and (2) (relating to requirements for qualifications, hours of service, safety and equipment standards)
      • Announcer, news editor, chief engineer of a radio or television station, the major studio of which is located in:
      • City or town of 100,000 population or less, if it is not part of a standard metropolitan statistical area having a total population in excess of 100,000; or
      • City or town of 25,000 population or less, which is part of such an area but is at least 40 airline miles from the principal city in the area
      • Any employee engaged in the processing of maple sap into sugar (other than refined sugar) or syrup
      • Employment by a motion picture theatre

More Resources
Local: For Questions/Complaints in Montgomery, Chester and Delaware Counties, Contact Bureau of Labor Law Compliance 

  • Philadelphia District Office
    1103 State Office Bldg.
    1400 Spring Garden St.
    Philadelphia, PA 19130
    Phone: 215-560-1858
    or 1-877-817-9497

State: Additional information about the Minimum Wage Act is available online at: http://www.dli.state.pa.us. From that site you can submit a complaint form, find answers to frequently asked questions and read more about the Minimum Wage Act.

Federal: U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
http://www.eeoc.gov.

  • Philadelphia District Office
    801 Market Street
    Suit 1300, Philadelphia, Pa 19107-3127
    1 866 408 8075
    Fax 215 440 2606.