LOCAL: FREE INTERNET KIOSKS PHILLY FAIR WORKWEEK

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE — PHILLY LAUNCHES FIVE FREE INTERNET KIOSKS IN CENTER CITY

ONLY 71.6 PERCENT OF HOUSEHOLDS IN THE CITY HAD BROADBAND IN 2017, COMPARED TO 83.5 PERCENT NATIONALLY. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, SMARTPHONE USERS IN CENTER CITY CAN NOW USE FIVE OF AN EVENTUAL 100 KIOSKS TO ACCESS THE INTERNET.

By: Julie Zeglen, Generocity.org In 2016, the United Nations declared internet access to be a basic human right. However, in Philadelphia — the United States’ poorest big city, with a poverty rate of 25.7 percent — the internet subscription rate fell from 2016 to 2017 by 2.7 percent, according to the recently released 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS). Only 71.6 percent of households in the city had broadband in 2017, compared to a national rate of 83.5 percent and an 88.1 percent rate in the Philly suburbs. As Philly.com notes, though, there’s an even wider disparity among the city’s neighborhoods: Center City sees a broadband penetration rate of 89 percent, while North Philadelphia’s Tioga/Nicetown sees only 37 percent. Increasingly, residents without in-home broadband are relying on smartphones to access the internet. As of March 2018, a Pew Research Center survey found, 31 percent of American households earning less than $30,000 per year are “smartphone dependent” for internet access. Those local folks now have one more option for hopping on the web: The ACS data release comes within a few days of the City of Philadelphia’s launch of its first LinkPHL kiosks, which will offer free and secure WiFi, device charging ports, phone calls within the U.S., and a city services finder. The Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability announced in November 2017 that it had received approval from the city’s Art Commission to install 100 freestanding kiosks total, mainly in Center City and University City. The service will be paid for by advertising, not the city’s budget. “LinkPHL’s many amenities support our SmartCityPHL goal of creating a modern infrastructure that will benefit Philadelphia for many years to come,” said Mayor Jim Kenney in a statement. Center City hosts the first five kiosk locations, listed below. Download the LinkPHL app to access the Wi-Fi kiosks.

Active Links in Philadelphia:

Market Street: 1835 Market Street 1700 Market Street 1515 Market Street

John F Kennedy Blvd: 1515 John F Kennedy Blvd

15th Street: 51 N 15th Street

PHILLY'S FAIR WORKWEEK BILL PASSES — AFFECTING 130,000 HOURLY WORKERS

PHILADELPHIA PASSED A FAIR WORKWEEK BILL FOR EMPLOYEES IN THE RETAIL, FOOD, AND HOSPITALITY SECTORS WHO WORK FOR A LARGE CHAIN BUSINESS WITH MORE THAN 250 EMPLOYEES AND AT LEAST 30 LOCATIONS.

By: Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBCPhiladelphia Propelled by cheers and thunderous applause, Philadelphia City Council passed a fair workweek bill that will guarantee predictable schedules for some 130,000 hourly workers in the service and hospitality industries. “It’s a good day for justice in Philadelphia,” Councilwoman Helen Gym said after hours of public comment. "It’s time for a fair workweek … It’s time to take a stand.” On December 20, Mayor Jim Kenney signed two bills into law: the Fair Workweek Employment Standards Ordinance and the Philadelphia Minimum Wage Bill, which gradually raises the minimum wage over four years from $12.20 to $15 an hour by January 1, 2022. "City Council members have always had the needs of working Philadelphians front and center of their legislative agenda," Kenney said in a statement. "Their support of these measures is another shining example of that commitment." Dozens of workers and their advocates crammed into council chambers long before the scheduled vote. No one spoke against the bill during public comment. Instead, supporters lined the block outside City Hall and carried signs reading "Poverty is not inevitable" and "Philly workers demand a fair workweek."

"Sometimes we come into work for 8 hours and sometimes we don't know when we'll be going home," hotel housekeeper Annie Ellison said before the vote. “I’m here for the mothers. I’m here for the families.”

Only three Council Members voted against the bill, including Councilman Brian O'Neil who said he objected because the ordinance does not exempt workers already protected by union agreements. "It should," he said as people jeered. The bill, first introduced over the summer by Councilwoman Gym and seven co-sponsors, would apply to large chain businesses with more than 250 employees in the retail, food, or hospitality sectors with at least 30 locations across the country or state. Inspired by similar legislation enacted in other cities, such as New York and Seattle, the ordinance will guarantee at least eleven hours rest time between shifts, opportunities to work additional hours, and provide for enforcement and penalties if an employer does not comply. Several business associations, however, were disappointed with the bill despite amendments introduced to quell fears that Philadelphia's job growth could slow down as a result of fair workweek. “In the long run, it’s going to hurt the industry,” Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, told NBC10 last week. “We feel that we take care of our people." The amendments included new exemptions for employers to staff last-minute ticketed events and large banquets, and added language allowing employees to voluntarily change their schedules. Perhaps most significantly, however, language was removed from the original bill prohibiting under-scheduling, or the practice of not scheduling enough hours per employee. Councilwoman Gym removed that provision because she felt the bill as written provided sufficient worker protections. “This is a City Council that is dedicated to ending poverty and supporting working families,” she said. “This is a bill that will do that.” According to 2015 U.S. Census data, at least a quarter of Philadelphia’s service employees work part-time. Many of these retail and service industry workers frequently face unpredictable schedules that change as often as the seasons. Part of the ongoing problem between City Council and business associations is the state minimum wage, which stagnated 12 years ago at $7.25 under former Governor Ed Rendell. A provision adopted at the time prohibited local municipalities from further making changes to their minimum wages. That power was given to the General Assembly. As a result, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has not budged. Meanwhile, New Jersey’s minimum wage increased to $8.44 and Delaware’s to $8.25. “I consider it a poverty rate,” Councilwoman Gym said. “I can’t let that stop me.” [Editor’s note: this article has been updated by One Step Away to contain the most recent law developments.]