Public Union Democracy
Teachers’ Unions Influence and the Politics of Education
Get ready for a riveting episode of Disunion: The Government Union Report! Host David Osborne is joined by The Daily Signal Investigative Columnist and WIBC radio host Tony Kennett for…
Read More: Teachers’ Unions Influence and the Politics of EducationCompulsory public unions threaten individual worker rights and cost taxpayers billions. Reforms to the Pennsylvania Public Employee Relations Act are needed to restore and protect workers’ rights. No one—including government employees—should be blocked from leaving a union. To increase government integrity and accountability, policies should be adopted that ensure all special interests groups, including government unions, interact with the state government on a level playing field.
Education
Lies from PSEA Leadership
Repeating the same lie over and over does not make it magically come true. Yet this hasn’t stopped the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) leadership from an…
Media
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Union Lobbying Holds Back Lottery Performance
Illinois’s decision to terminate its lottery private management agreement with Northstar is being misinterpreted as proof that Pennsylvania dodged a bullet by failing to approve a private lottery management…
Media
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Education Spending Poll
Nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania voters underestimate the amount the state spends on education. And when informed of the facts, support for boosting education funding by hiking taxes dropped significantly.
Poll
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Audio: 81% in PA Support Employee Freedom
Should workers be penalized for leaving a union? 81 percent of Pennsylvanians say “no.” So why hasn’t a policy change happened to free workers from having to pay a…
Media
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Podcast: Teachers Opt Out of Union Membership
As part of National Employee Freedom Week, we sat down with two western Pennsylvania teachers who successfully left their teachers’ unions last year. John Cress is a middle school…
Media
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Teachers Call for More Freedom, Choices
Heather Lister and Joe Connolly are both Pennsylvania educators, and they couldn’t be more different. Heather is a 25-year-old library media specialist and a registered Democrat. Joe is a veteran…
Media
Read More: Teachers Call for More Freedom, ChoicesEducation
For Teachers, Knowledge is Power
Like any other group of professionals, teachers are a diverse lot, holding vastly differing social, cultural, and political views. So why is it that they’re lumped together and forced to…
Commentary
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New Poll: 81% in PA Believe Unionization Should be a Choice
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 New Poll: 81 Percent of Pennsylvanians Support Worker Freedom This is National Employee Freedom Week, Educating Union Employees…
Press Release
Read More: New Poll: 81% in PA Believe Unionization Should be a ChoiceGovernment Accountability
Agreed: Public Resources Should not be used for Politics
“Public resources are not supposed to be used for partisan political purposes.” So says Barry Kauffman of Common Cause PA in a Tribune Review article. What Mr. Kauffman…
Media
Read More: Agreed: Public Resources Should not be used for PoliticsEducation
Seniority Reform is Pro-Child, not Anti-Teacher
It seems clear that there is widespread agreement—across party lines and ideological barriers—that we must address school seniority rules and tenure reform. Check out this stunning video from MSNBC’s Morning…
Media
Read More: Seniority Reform is Pro-Child, not Anti-TeacherEducation
Teacher Evaluation System to Continue in Pittsburgh
Good news from the Pittsburgh School District, where the Pennsylvania Department of Education granted three year approval of Pittsburgh’s new teacher evaluation system. This despite the Pittsburgh Federation…
Media
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Millions in Special Interest Political Money Floods PA with Taxpayers’ Help
Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Special Interest Groups Inundate PA, Spend Millions on Political Ads at Worker & Taxpayer Expense No Limit on Amount of Union Dues Contributed to…
Press Release
Read More: Millions in Special Interest Political Money Floods PA with Taxpayers’ HelpPublic Union Democracy
Union Dues Fund SuperPAC Spending Binge
A new $2 million political TV ad campaign represents the first foray of “SuperPAC” spending into Pennsylvania. And taxpayers are forced to pay for this political spending. As…
Media
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Sherlock Investigates: Politics on the Public Dime
On Tuesday, former House Speakers Bill DeWeese and John Perzel were issued public demerits in the form of gold plaques hung beneath their Capitol portraits. That same day, a…
Media
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Teachers Unions Putting More Dues Money into Politics
While union leadership continues to repeat the myth that union dues cannot be used for politics, the latest newsletter from the Pennsylvania State Education Assocation again reveals, in small…
Media
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Leaders Agree: Public Unions Are Blocking Reform
House Majority Leader Mike Turzai took to the podium last week, providing press and spectators his response to the Governor’s criticisms, blue-line budget reductions, and House priorities. We applaud…
Media
Read More: Leaders Agree: Public Unions Are Blocking ReformGovernment Accountability
Government Unions’ Political Power Persists
While labor unions nationwide have been on the defensive for the past few decades—especially in light of pro-worker measures in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana—Pennsylvania remains a bastion of…
Media
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Teachers’ Views Matter
From my vantage point on the frontlines of Pennsylvania’s public schools, I see teachers’ unions with money to spend and power to wield who are unresponsive to the very people…
Commentary
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Paycheck Protection Update
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks at the Capitol and the entire CF team has been working around the clock to make Paycheck Protection a…
Media
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Gov. Unions Block Pension Reform
Lawmakers may have agreed on a no-new-taxes budget, but the cost drivers behind this year’s budget shortfall and Pennsylvania’s annual budget crisis remain unchanged. Chief among those cost drivers is…
Media
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Court Slaps Gov. Union Overreach, Leaves Paycheck Protection in State Hands
For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Supreme Court Slaps Government Union Overreach Bolsters Argument for Paycheck Protection June 30, 2014, Harrisburg, Pa—Today, the U.S.
Press Release
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