We will regularly offer a shout-out to the leaders who demonstrate an understanding of the importance of unions and the work our people do.  We want to make wise decisions about the people who want to lead us.

State Rep. Joe Hohenstein was elected to the Pennsylvania House on Nov. 6, 2018, representing the 177th Legislative District in Philadelphia.

Prior to being elected state representative, Hohenstein was an attorney and small business owner. In his professional career, he’s been dedicated to helping the community and fighting for justice as a nationally renowned lawyer on immigration rights and keeping families united.

Hohenstein grew up in a union household, and lives just blocks away from his childhood home with his wife Brandi, and two daughters Emma and Maggie. His mother was a shop steward with AFSCME Local 1739 and his father was a member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Hohenstein’s top priorities include full fair funding for Philadelphia schools, solutions to the drug crisis that make everyone in the community safer, and tax structures that are fair to working families and make corporations pay their fair share. He supports women’s rights and pay equality, a clean environment, sensible laws to curb gun violence, protecting workers and raising the minimum wage, and fair districts to provide everyone an equal voice in government.

Since the COVID crisis, Hohenstein has been advocating for the rights and dignity of Direct Service Professionals who work with the intellectually disabled and autism.  He has been one of the few voices raising the plight of DSPs in small community settings (under 20 people) who have struggled for decent wages and COVID protections/resources that have been mostly focused resources on health care workers in large nursing homes.  He supports the PA Rescue plan that would raise DSP wages to the $15 minimum wage standard and invest more than $220 million with providers who manage ID and autism services in small in-home settings.