Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which protects the right of public employees to join unions and engage in collective bargaining on behalf of middle class workers. This is a crucial time when public sector unions are under attack; the latest being the Supreme Court’s serious setback to working people in the Janus v. AFSCME decision. ... Read more »

Wilkes-Barre – Today, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a supplementary grant worth $4,448,807 to the Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. Luzerne County Head Start offers Pre-K, Early Head Start, and Head Start programs for children in Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. “This grant is an investment in our children – the future of our... Read more »

The United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision released today, ruled against unions in Janus v AFSCME and ignored 41 years of legal precedent upholding the right of unions to collect “fair share fees” for the services they are legally required to provide to workers, such as negotiating for decent pay and fair workplaces. “This 5-4 decision is another direct attack on union rights, on working f... Read more »

Congressman Matt Cartwright announced today that Tobyhanna Army Depot’s planned hiring of more than 100 new engineers, IT specialists, electronics technicians, and related trades personnel is to support a $150 million increase in spending during federal fiscal year 2019 on WIN-T work, the development and maintenance of the Army’s most modern communications systems. WIN-T is the Army’s Warfighter I... Read more »

Wilkes-Barre, PA – Today, Representative Matt Cartwright announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency (HHS) awarded $1,793,347 to the Rural Health Corporation of Northeastern PA (RHC), in Wilkes-Barre. The funds will be used to maintain RHC’s current scope of health care services in its seven locations throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Rural Health Corporation provide... Read more »

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright announced that Scranton Primary Health Care Center Inc. received $1,321,672 in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funds support critical health services for underinsured and uninsured residents. Established in 1978, Scranton Primary Health Care Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, offers quality primary ... Read more »

Yesterday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released to the public a dire report regarding the sustainability of the federal Black Lung Trust Fund, which covers medical and living expenses for former coal mine workers who have the devastating and potentially deadly disease of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (also known as black lung disease). The Trust Fund is supported through a tax on coa... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright made the following statement regarding President Trump’s executive orders aimed at federal workforce unions. The president’s three executive orders would: --Restrict time spent by union officials on employee and workplace issues. --Shorten collective bargaining time for workers to negotiate with management and potentially make collective bargaining agreements hard... Read more »

The U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to include an amendment sponsored by Congressman Matt Cartwright (PA-17) and Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) that supports army depots across the country, including Tobyhanna Army Depot, in the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. The Cartwright amendment directs the Department of Defense to do a detailed baseline accounting of trends in depo... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright announced successful passage of his amendment to the House FY 2018 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill that will restore necessary funding for NASA’s critical Climate Monitoring System (CMS). This system develops methods for monitoring, reporting, and verifying the measurement of harmful global warming emissions. President Trump’s administration has elimi... Read more »