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H.S. Wrestling: Hazleton Area edges Pittston Area; Berwick win three matches

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Jay Ambrose: Biden’s splendid inauguration

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul this week led a coalition of nine attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the last ditch effort by the Trump Administration to allow employers to withhold tips from their employees.
				The lawsuit challenges a U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) rule that unlawfully seeks to remove the limit on non-tipped work a tipped worker may complete and still receive only the tipped minimum wage, $2.13 per hour federally and $2.83 per hour in Pennsylvania.
				The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the federal law establishing a baseline of critical workplace protections, such as minimum wage and overtime, for workers across the country. It permits employers to take a credit against their minimum wage obligations for the tips workers receive.
				For 30 years, USDOL regulations have capped the amount non-tipped work a tipped worker may do at twenty percent of their working time called the &ldquo;80/20 rule.&rdquo; The new rule eliminates that cap, among other provisions. Illinois, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania led a coalition of nineteen state attorneys general in a comment opposing the proposed rule.
				This is the second time the PA Office of Attorney General has sued Trump&rsquo;s Department of Labor. When USDOL tried to make it easier for employers to escape liability for violating workers&rsquo; rights, AG Shapiro partnered with New York Attorney General Letitia James, and others, and had the rule struck down.
				&ldquo;This new rule issued by the U.S. Dept. of Labor is indefensible and would result in tipped workers doing more work for less pay all in the midst of a global pandemic,&rdquo; Shapiro said. &ldquo;Businesses and employers are struggling and need real relief during this pandemic but it cannot come out of the pockets of their employees. My office will continue to fight for workers in Pennsylvania and across the country to earn fair pay for a fair day&rsquo;s work.&rdquo;
				The coalition asserts that the rule contradicts the text and purpose of the FLSA, and that the USDOL violated the rule-making process requirements, including failing to analyze the impact the rule would have on tipped workers. In addition, the rule fails to justify its departure from the longstanding 80/20 rule. The states argue that the rule will harm the states by reducing income tax revenue, increasing public benefits expenditures, and imposing administrative costs.
				As so many businesses and their employers &mdash; especially restaurants &mdash; struggle through this pandemic, the coalition argues relief should come from the federal government and not at the expense of workers.
				The suit was co-led by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and joined by Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and New York.
				Shapiro begins his second
				term as Attorney General
				Shapiro this week was sworn in for his second term as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania.
				His swearing-in speech reflected on the big fights fought and won since taking office in 2017, and the bigger fights to come in his second term. AG Shapiro also held a moment of silence to honor the 400,000 people who have lost their lives due to COVID-19.
				Shapiro released a comprehensive report summarizing the accomplishments and reforms of the office during his first term.
				&ldquo;This report tells the story of the hard work of public servants and employees of the Office of Attorney General over the past four years,&rdquo; said AG Shapiro.
				The report highlights the work of each section of the Office of Attorney General and the progress that has been made in the years since Attorney General Shapiro took office in 2017.
				Examples from this report include:
				Living Out Our Core Values: Since taking office, Shapiro has hired 477 new employees including 290 women, Black, Hispanic and Asian individuals to serve our Commonwealth&mdash;which accounts for 60 percent of all hires. That compares to 45 percent of all hires in 2016. The Office of Attorney General also hired its first Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
				The Big Fights: In 2018, AG Shapiro revealed the results of an extensive, two-year grand jury investigation into the Catholic Church that continues to bring national and international attention to abuse scandals and the extensive efforts by bishops and Vatican officials to hide this abuse.
				Protecting Consumers from Fraud and Scams: The Office of Attorney General has fielded 99,932 total complaints since AG Shapiro took office, including 37,568 from seniors. This is a 27 percent total increase over prior administration with a 40 percent increase for seniors.
				Combating the Opioid Epidemic: In 2019, Attorney General Shapiro sued Purdue Pharma, the manufacturers of Oxycontin, which is a popular and highly addictive painkiller. AG Shapiro followed that lawsuit with separate litigation alleging that members of the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, are personally liable for the opioid crisis.
				Fulfilling and Expanding OAG&rsquo;s Mission: In 2017, AG Shapiro created the Office of Attorney General&rsquo;s first Fair Labor Section, whose work was critical to protecting Pennsylvanian workers against many of the unfair and illegal administrative rules promulgated by the Trump Administration.
				DeFoor sworn in as
				PA Auditor General
				Timothy L. DeFoor was sworn in this week as Pennsylvania&rsquo;s 52nd Auditor General and, in so doing, becomes the first African American and person of color in Pennsylvania to be elected to a statewide row office. DeFoor promised taxpayers that he will hold state government accountable for how it spends its citizens&rsquo; tax dollars.
				&ldquo;Accountability, integrity and transparency are what Pennsylvania taxpayers expect and deserve from their government in Harrisburg, and that&rsquo;s exactly what I&rsquo;ll deliver,&rdquo; DeFoor said. &ldquo;I will work hard to ensure our citizens that their hard-earned tax dollars are being used and spent appropriately.&rdquo;
				DeFoor resigned from his previous position as Dauphin County Controller before being sworn in.
				DeFoor brings 30 years of experience auditing and investigating government fraud, waste, and abuse to the Department of the Auditor General. Before being elected as Dauphin County Controller in 2015, DeFoor served as a Special Investigator with the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General and as a Special Agent with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
				&ldquo;While you can&rsquo;t run government like it&rsquo;s a business, you can watch how government spends its money, like it&rsquo;s a business,&rdquo; DeFoor said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll aggressively go after waste, fraud and abuse to ensure that state government lives within its means and every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely.&rdquo;
				DeFoor is a resident of Susquehanna Township in Dauphin County. He is a graduate of Susquehanna Township High School and has an Associate of Arts degree in paralegal studies from Harrisburg Area Community College; a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh; and a Master of Science degree in project management from the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
				New PA Treasurer Garrity
				pledges open, honest service
				Stacy Garrity, sworn in this week as the 78th treasurer of Pennsylvania, said her job is &ldquo;to be the steward of taxpayer money and to make certain that government is open, honest, and accountable.&rdquo;
				Garrity pledged to work on behalf of all Pennsylvanians, building on her decades of service in the U.S. Army Reserve and her experience as a businesswoman at Global Tungsten & Powders Corp., a global supplier of refractory powders based in Bradford County.
				&ldquo;We have just come through a year of unprecedented challenges, hard feelings, and some deep losses,&rdquo; Garrity said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a saying that if you focus on the rear-view mirror, you&rsquo;ll miss where you&rsquo;re headed. I say we look ahead toward a place of optimism and cooperation. Let&rsquo;s start the journey.&rdquo;
				Garrity&rsquo;s top priorities include eliminating waste and unnecessary fees, helping Pennsylvania families save for education and other needs, and increasing transparency for taxpayers.
				&ldquo;This job is about making sure that billions of dollars of unclaimed property is returned to its rightful owners,&rdquo; Garrity said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about promoting college savings for working families and ABLE accounts to assist people with special needs. It&rsquo;s about creating a system that will allow taxpayers to go online and examine every check written from the Treasury. It&rsquo;s their money, and they deserve to know how every dollar is spent.&rdquo;
				The inaugural ceremony included a presentation of Garrity&rsquo;s military colors by the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry. Garrity, a graduate of Bloomsburg University, was pleased to be joined by the Bloomsburg University Choir, which performed the national anthem and &ldquo;God Bless America.&rdquo;
				Treasurer Garrity, just the fourth woman to be elected as Pennsylvania treasurer, was sworn in by Pennsylvania Superior Court Justice Megan McCarthy King.

AG Shapiro leads coalition in federal lawsuit to protect tipped workers