Fairness
Unions at a Crossroads: Democracy, Transparency, and Bridging Divides
Jake Altman, author of Socialism before Sanders, joins Disunion: The Government Union Report podcast host David R. Osborne to discuss labor unions and their challenges. Altman, a former union leader,…
Read More: Unions at a Crossroads: Democracy, Transparency, and Bridging DividesCompulsory 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.
Public Union Democracy
Yesterday’s Paycheck Protection Vote
Thanks to your voices, yesterday afternoon the state Senate suddenly voted on an aspect of “paycheck protection.” Senator Scott Wagner proposed an amendment yesterday that would end the taxpayer-funded collection…
Media
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How PFT Fails Phila. Students & Teachers Revealed at Union Rally Tomorrow
PFT’s Failings Highlighted at Union Rally Tomorrow Union Leaders Playing Politics with Children’s Futures At tomorrow’s union rally in Philadelphia, Commonwealth Foundation will be distributing informational fliers to…
Press Release
Read More: How PFT Fails Phila. Students & Teachers Revealed at Union Rally TomorrowEducation
PFT/AFT: Politics Before Health Care
The recent decision by the Philadelphia School Reform Commission (SRC) to cancel the school district’s contract with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT)—and require teachers to pay up to 13…
Media
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Union-Backed Report Rife with Hypocrisy
Three union-affiliated groups released a report alleging that Pennsylvania charter schools defrauded taxpayers to the tune of $30 million since 1997. Predictably, this story has been greeted…
Media
Read More: Union-Backed Report Rife with HypocrisyEducation
School Funding Doublespeak
How can school funding be “slashed” yet “technically rise”? Take a look at this excerpt from a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, (emphasis mine): Education funding to…
Media
Read More: School Funding DoublespeakEducation
Teachers Sue PSEA in Landmark Case
Jane Ladley was a special education teacher in Chester County for more than 25 years until she retired this year. She may have left teaching, but she has a bone…
Media
Read More: Teachers Sue PSEA in Landmark CasePublic Union Democracy
Employees Lose Under PA’s Public Pension Systems
Most workers are shortchanged by Pennsylvania’s public employee pension programs, according to two recent studies. The Urban Institute gives Pennsylvania’s State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) an “F”…
Media
Read More: Employees Lose Under PA’s Public Pension SystemsPublic Union Democracy
Is This What Democracy Looks Like?
An astounding 93 percent of union members had no role in choosing the union currently representing them, according to a new report authored by Dr. Daniel DiSalvo of the…
Media
Read More: Is This What Democracy Looks Like?Education
Union Executives “Neutral” on Protecting Children
Legislation to protect children from predators in the classroom has stalled in Harrisburg. Union executives are standing in the way. Currently, teachers who sexually abuse or have…
Media
Read More: Union Executives “Neutral” on Protecting ChildrenEducation
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
Read More: Lies from PSEA LeadershipPublic Union Democracy
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
Read More: Union Lobbying Holds Back Lottery PerformanceEducation
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
Read More: Education Spending PollPublic Union Democracy
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
Read More: Audio: 81% in PA Support Employee FreedomEducation
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
Read More: Podcast: Teachers Opt Out of Union MembershipEducation
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
Read More: For Teachers, Knowledge is PowerPublic Union Democracy
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
Read More: Teacher Evaluation System to Continue in PittsburghPublic Union Democracy
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’ Help