Press Release
New Analysis Reveals Striking Partisanship of Government Union Spending
Government unions spent more than $33 million on political causes and only 5.2 percent of PAC contributions went to non-Democratic candidates.
Harrisburg, Pa., April 16, 2025 — Government unions use backdoor tactics and taxpayer-supported systems to quietly steer millions toward political campaigns. The Commonwealth Foundation’s new report, analyzing campaign finance and union financial disclosure data from the 2023-24 election cycle, found government union political spending in Pennsylvania to be dramatically partisan, favoring Democratic candidates and causes.
During the 2023-24 filing period, government unions—such as the Pennsylvania State Education Association; the American Federation of Teachers; the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; and the Service Employees International Union—spent $33.5 million on Pennsylvania politics.
Union membership dues and political action committee (PAC) dollars fund union political activities. Armed with these funds and immense special legal privileges that allow them to collect political money through the public payroll system, government unions wield undue political power in Harrisburg and beyond.
By funding get-out-the-vote efforts and contributing to super PACs rather than individual candidates, government unions play puppet masters in elections, largely without scrutiny from the public or their members.
Key Findings
- With party control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives up-for-grabs this past election cycle, government unions contributed more than $4.2 million to help protect the Democratic majority.
- Government union PAC expenditures totaled $18 million, with 94.8 percent of direct contributions going to Democratic candidates.
- Membership dues spending accounted for more than 45 percent of government union political spending during the 2023-24 election cycle, with these expenditures supporting left-of-center PACs, Super PACs, and political organizations.
- Government unions disguised more than $600,000 in political spending as ‘charitable giving,’ including contributions to super PACs.
Commonwealth Foundation Policy Analyst Andrew Holman issued the following response:
“Government unions don’t even try to hide their blatant partisanship. Unfortunately, union members suffer when they learn how union bosses spend their dues. In a swing state like Pennsylvania, it’s impossible that more than 9-in-10 union members support the same candidates and causes their union bosses back with political donations. With a long-standing record of transparency issues within these unions, many members remain in the dark about what their dues are actually funding.
“For far too long, government unions have used state resources to fund their political agendas and boost their already inflated influence. Taxpayer resources should never subsidize political agendas, and union members deserve full transparency and control over how their union spends their dues.
“It’s time for lawmakers to end the special privileges that allow government unions to amass undue political power and operate without accountability. Union influence should be earned through member input and trust—not propped up by taxpayers and hidden agendas.”
Read the full report here.
Additional Resources
The Battle for Worker Freedom: How Government Unions Fund Politics Across the Country
Government Unions are Losing Money and Members—but Not Power and Influence
Union Political Spending Doesn’t Represent All Their Members
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