Compulsory 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

Resolved: Pass Paycheck Protection

  • March 27, 2014

Across Pennsylvania, elected officials are passing resolutions urging the state legislature to act on paycheck protection legislation. Below is a list of bold government leaders who’ve resolved to do what…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Union Bosses? Paycheck Protection Deceptions

  • March 21, 2014

CF President Matt Brouillette and Simon Campbell of Pennsylvanians for Union Reform recently appeared on  Business Matters to debate government union bosses Wendell Young IV of UFCW 1776…

Media

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Education

Time for Paycheck Protection in Pa

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 17, 2014

The government liquor monopoly, the pension time bomb, and Philadelphia’s public school crisis—what do they have in common? Each of these public policy disasters was supported by government unions. What’s…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Senator Uses Public Money for Politics — So What?

  • March 14, 2014

All this hyperventilating over allegations that State Senator LeAnna Washington’s summer birthday bash included some surreptitious use of taxpayer resources for campaign fundraising is really a…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Gov. Union Politics Harm Employees and Taxpayers

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • March 14, 2014

Government unions aren’t about fighting for public employees and workers any more — they’ve become political operations with agendas that harm both their members and taxpayers. Americans, and even…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Super PAC will Super Size Union Dues in Politics

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 12, 2014

You may have read articles about a federal judge allowing a “Super PAC” to operate in Pennsylvania to attack Republicans. Effectively, Super PACs can collect and spend unlimited amounts…

Media

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Government Accountability

State House to Tackle Union Violence

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 11, 2014

Federal charges of racketeering and arson against several Philadelphia union members, who called themselves The Helpful Union Guys (or T.H.U.G.s) has renewed interest in closing a loophole in…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Union Dues Still Fund Politics & Union Members Don’t Like It

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 4, 2014

Last night, I spoke with ABC 27 about polling that shows the vast majority of union household support ending taxpayer collection of union political money. See the video…

Media

Read More: Union Dues Still Fund Politics & Union Members Don’t Like It

Education

The $1 Billion Lie Exposed

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 4, 2014

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) took out full-page, color ads in several major state newspapers last week proclaiming Gov. Corbett “closed neighborhood schools” and laid off teachers in Philadelphia…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

CF Calls Out Union Ad Campaign’s Deceptions

  • March 4, 2014

For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 National Teachers’ Union Fibs in Political Attack Ad Uses taxpayer resources to do it March 4, 2014, HARRISBURG, PA—Today,…

Press Release

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Public Union Democracy

Plagiarism: Union Style (Part 2)

  • February 28, 2014

A recent letter to the editor in reaction to my op-ed on paycheck protection starts: I live in the Malvern area, served 24 years in the military and…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Why Paycheck Protection is Needed Now

  • February 28, 2014

On February 6th, Commissioner Mark Scott and I voted to support employee paycheck protection by passing resolution 41.14. With all the important issues facing Berks County, why have we chosen to…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Unions Pouring Big Money in Pennsylvania Elections

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 27, 2014

As we’ve pointed out in the past, unions—often using campaign contributions collected at taxpayer expense—dominate political spending and electioneering. Well, the first campaign…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Media Attention for Paycheck Protection

  • February 21, 2014

Our new paycheck protection survey released this week has Pennsylvania talking. Why? The results show union members overwhelmingly agree that taxpayer resources shouldn’t be used for their unions’ politics. …

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Big Labor’s Billions Targeting PA

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 20, 2014

Unions are spending millions on politics, and drumming up issues like a minimum wage increase, solely to win some elections, the New York Times reports today. Union leaders are…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Plagiarism: Union Style

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • February 19, 2014

Several letters to the editor opposing paycheck protection—ostensibly written by different teachers—have appeared in newspapers around the state. Their suspicious similarity provides a valuable lesson in a practice typically frowned…

Media

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Government Accountability

Union Spokesmen Still Lying About Paycheck Protection

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 19, 2014

Yesterday, I pointed out that union leaders would use every bogeyman and slogan in their playbook rather than explain why taxpayers should collect their political money. As if on…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Union Members Support Paycheck Protection

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 18, 2014

Last week, my colleague Bob wrote in the Patriot News that union leaders are waging a “war on truth” by attacking paycheck protection but ignoring the real issue: whether…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Survey: Union Members Overwhelmingly SUPPORT Paycheck Protection!

  • February 18, 2014

For Immediate Release Commonwealth Foundation Contact: 717-671-1901 Survey: Union Members Overwhelmingly SUPPORT Paycheck Protection! Large majority want unions, not government, to collect their dues and…

Press Release

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Public Union Democracy

A War on Truth

  • February 14, 2014

Should you be forced to subsidize government union politics? That’s the question asked by a reform gaining steam in Harrisburg called paycheck protection. But you wouldn’t know it by listening…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Local Governments Push for Paycheck Protection

  • February 10, 2014

We’ve already highlighted the national attention paycheck protection received from the Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily. Now local governments in Pennsylvania are pushing for an end to…

Media

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