2023 Primary Election
On May 16, 2023, vote labor-friendly allies into county offices and the judicial branch. As public sector workers, we can choose leaders who stand with us as we fight for higher wages, fully staffed departments, and worker safety.
We are proud to endorse a slate of candidates across the Commonwealth who will fight for public sector workers and allocate resources that fund services provided by our county members who work for 911, Children and Youth, and Aging, to name a few.
These endorsed candidates completed an endorsement questionnaire and met with our members for an endorsement interview. Our members only recommend endorsing candidates who support raising wages, understand the importance of public services, and support every worker's right to join a union.
Now is our chance to transform county government. On election day, plan to vote for county officials who will fight for a county government that works for hard-working union families.
Below is a list of all our endorsed candidates. We continue to have endorsement meetings, so check here before heading to the polls.
Statewide Judicial Endorsements
Supreme Court, Daniel McCaffrey
Superior Court, Timika Lane and Jill Beck
Commonwealth Court, Brian Neff
House Special Election, Delaware County, Chapter 10
HD 163, Heather Boyd
Allegheny County, Chapter 3
Sara Innamorato (D), Allegheny County Executive
Erica Rocchi Brusselars (D), Allegheny CountyTreasurer
Corey O’Connor (D), Allegheny County Controller
Matt Dugan (D), Allegheny District Attorney
Bethany Hallam (D), Allegheny County Council At-Large
Paul Klein (D), Allegheny County Council, District 11
Barb Warwick (D), Pittsburgh City Council, District 5
Khari Mosely (D), Pittsburgh City Council, District 9
Anthony Deluca, Court of Common Pleas Allegheney County
Cambria County, Chapter 5
Sharon Burk (D), Cambria County Register of Wills
Lehigh County, Chapter 13
Cece Gerlach (D), Allentown City Council
Montgomery County, Chapter 11
Neil Makhija (D), Montgomery County Commissioner
Philadelphia City, Chapter 12
Jarrett Smith, (D), Philadelphia City Commissioner
Westmoreland County, Chapter 4
Ted Kopas (D), Westmoreland Commissioner
Douglas Chew ( R ), Westmoreland Commissioner
Bud Santimyer (D), Southmorleand School Board
What Does County Government Do?
ACT 130 of 1955 defines county government and the elected offices.
County Commissioners and County Council- Commissioners and Council members draft the budget. They decide how to allocate funds, vote on county legislation, and oversee our local unit members' departments. In addition, they vote to approve or disapprove labor contracts for our members.
City Council Members- City Council members oversee the city budget, vote for legislation impacting the city and vote on labor contracts for city workers.
Register of Wills- The Register of Wills office collects inheritance tax and handles the probate of wills when someone passes away. The elected Register of Wills is in charge of the daily operations and staffing for the office.
School Board- Each public school district across the Commonwealth has a school board. The board consists of elected members who live in the school district. They oversee the policies of the school district and allocate the budget.
District Attorney: The District Attorney (DA) is the head law enforcer for your community. They are responsible for investigating and determining which cases go to trial, prosecuting criminal offenses, and making sentencing recommendations. They significantly impact the safety of the communities where we live and work. The District Attorney holds a significant amount of power. We must elect individuals to ensure justice is carried out fairly across race, tax brackets, and gender.
Judicial Elections
The decisions elected judges make will shape the law for years. Pennsylvania's candidates seeking a judicial on the Supreme Court, Superior Court, and Commonwealth Court seats must run in partisan, statewide elections. Then, after serving a 10-year term, they run in nonpartisan elections, where voters choose yes or no for retention.
Candidates running for Judge of the Court of Common Pleas run countywide and hold the seat for ten years. They also run on a retention vote to continue serving.
Magistrate candidates run in their specific municipal districts and serve for six years. They do not run for retention but can run for re-election.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court This is the highest court in the Commonwealth. Like the US Supreme Court, they choose the cases they will hear and hand down final rulings from cases previously appealed by lower courts. This court is important to workers because it upheld COVID-19 mitigation measures that kept workers safe.
Superior Court- This court hears appeals from criminal, family, and civil cases handled by county courts of common pleas.
Commonwealth Court- This court decides on civil disputes involving the state itself and hears appeals against decisions made by state agencies.
Magistrate Court & Common Pleas- The Magistrate Court handles minor cases like traffic tickets and civil disputes up to $12,000. The Court of Common Pleas handles family court and criminal trials. Common Pleas judges significantly impact our communities and members employed with Children and Youth. We endorse judges who have experience in this area.
Voting Information