Workers pick up bad vibrations
No. 54 | Monday, June 16, 2025
City News
Workers at World Cafe Live are walking out and picketing to protest the hostile treatment and “executive incompetence” under the new leadership of CEO Joseph Callahan. Those who walked out have been fired, but the fight isn’t over.
Kook Burger, the flashy surfer-themed burger joint known for its $30 milkshakes and a sand pit, has quietly closed alongside its sister brand Black Turtle Coffee amid bankruptcy and wage theft allegations.
More than 80,000 people joined the No Kings protest in Philadelphia on Saturday against President Trump, one of over 2,000 similar rallies held across the country to coincide with Trump’s stupid Army parade and sad birthday.
The president of IBEW Local 614, a PECO electrical workers union, blamed PECO for a house fire in Southwest Philly that sent five people to the hospital. “What should’ve been a manageable incident became a disaster because of rotting equipment that should’ve been replaced decades ago,” said Larry Anastasi.
AFSCME DC 33, the union representing 9,000 municipal workers, has voted to authorize a strike that could bring the city to a halt. The vote comes after months of negotiations with city leaders over wages, benefits, and job security.
Hundreds gathered outside Independence Hall Monday to demand the release of California SEIU union leader David Huerta and an end to ICE raids nationwide. Huerta was arrested during protests in LA, sparking a nationwide day of action organized by the union. He’s since been released on bond.
State News
Montgomery County just joined Delaware County in ending the practice of holding people for ICE without a judicial warrant. It’s a win for immigrant rights organizations and a reminder that Democratic counties have quietly enabled deportations for years unless activists push back.
The Democrat-controlled state House and the Republican-controlled state Senate have competing education bills. Democrats aim to recoup over $600 million in overpayments to charter schools and redirect that money to public school districts, while Republicans propose diverting tax dollars to private schools through vouchers. Governor Shapiro has voiced support for both.
Law enforcement agencies across the state are lining up to join ICE’s deportation dragnet.
Governor Shapiro announced that Amazon will spend $20 billion to build cloud computing and AI “innovation campuses” across the state, starting in Bucks and Luzerne counties.
After years of gridlock, PA House Democrats passed a regionalized $15 minimum wage bill to try to win Republican support, but it leaves most rural counties stuck below that mark and keeps carveouts for tipped and incarcerated workers. Philly workers would see $15 by 2026.
Senator Fetterman is condemning the protests in LA, of course.
A new bill backed by Governor Shapiro would allow a state-appointed board to override local governments and fast-track energy projects, including fossil fuel plants.
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The Weekly Rose
Meanwhile, in Schuylkill County, courthouse employees were evacuated, two trials were put on hold, drones were deployed, and a bomb squad was called in, all because of rogue applesauce.