Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB361

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/28/25
• Refer: 2/28/25

Caption

Providing for duties of public employers relating to public employee information.

Summary

SB 361, titled the Public Employer Disclosure Act, would require public employers in Pennsylvania to provide certain public employee information to a representative of an employee organization. The required information includes each employee’s name, date of hire, contact information, job title, salary or rate of pay, and work site or duty station, if that information is already in the employer’s records. The bill also requires the information to be delivered in an easily searchable electronic format, with newly hired bargaining-unit employees reported within 21 business days of hire and all bargaining-unit employees updated at least every 120 days. The bill also requires public employers, upon request, to make space and time available for employee organizations to meet with public employees on a quarterly basis, with advance notice requirements for both the union request and employer notification to employees. Employee organizations may use the information only for representation purposes and may not sell or otherwise share it except as allowed by a collective bargaining agreement. If a public employer fails to comply, the employee organization may sue to compel compliance and may recover costs and reasonable attorney fees. The bill takes effect 90 days after enactment.

Impact

SB 361 would add new statutory duties for Pennsylvania public employers, including the Commonwealth, political subdivisions, school districts, and certain publicly funded nonprofit and institutional employers not covered by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act. It would create a legal obligation to disclose specified personnel data to employee organization representatives, establish a recurring reporting schedule, and authorize court enforcement for noncompliance. The bill would also affect collective bargaining by allowing agreements to require more frequent information sharing than the statute mandates.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes, the available record suggests the measure is framed as a labor-relations and union-access bill rather than a controversial policy overhaul. Its sponsors are all Senate Democrats, which may indicate support from labor-aligned members, but there is no direct voting history or transcript evidence here to show broader legislative sentiment. The bill’s structure suggests a pro-representation approach aimed at facilitating communication between public employers and employee organizations.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are privacy, administrative burden, and union access. Public employers may object to having to provide personal contact information, including personal email and home or cell numbers, and to the recurring obligation to update records and arrange meeting space. Employee organizations are likely to support the bill because it expands access to workforce information and meeting opportunities needed for representation. Another possible point of dispute is the scope of covered employers, which extends beyond traditional government entities to certain nonprofit and publicly funded institutions, while excluding employers already covered by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Act.