Public Union Democracy
The Battle for Worker Freedom: How Government Unions Fund Politics Across the Country
Key Findings During the 2023–24 election cycle, the four biggest public sector unions—the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and American Federation…
Read More: The Battle for Worker Freedom: How Government Unions Fund Politics Across the CountryCompulsory 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
“Won’t Back Down” Captures Heart of Education
“Won’t Back Down” is a movie about education that fittingly begins and ends with a close-up of a child reading aloud. Education debates in America frequently whirl…
Media
Read More: “Won’t Back Down” Captures Heart of EducationEducation
5 Fixes for Property Tax Fires
Yesterday, I testified before the House Select Committee on Property Tax Reform, presenting on the best tax policy to finance government operations, and on…
Media
Read More: 5 Fixes for Property Tax FiresEducation
7 Education Facts Unions Don’t Want You to Know!
Pennsylvania is reeling from the Friday release of student test scores for 2011-12, which show declining student performance in our public schools. Kids did worse on the Pennsylvania System…
Media
Read More: 7 Education Facts Unions Don’t Want You to Know!Education
Harrisburg’s Horrid Decade of Despair
With soaring crime, a city in bankruptcy and families on the financial brink, children trapped in Harrisburg School District have to wonder how bad it can really get. …
Media
Read More: Harrisburg’s Horrid Decade of DespairPublic Union Democracy
Mailbag: Why Not Pay for Unused Sick Days?
Our post last week highlighting WGAL’s story on government workers receiving hefty payouts for unused sick days sparked a lively discussion. Here’s a question that popped up frequently: Do…
Media
Read More: Mailbag: Why Not Pay for Unused Sick Days?Education
How Pennsylvania Teachers Salaries Stack Up
If the Chicago teachers union walk-out on school children or the WGAL story on sick-time pay has you wondering about teacher salaries in Pennsylvania, you’re in luck. Our…
Media
Read More: How Pennsylvania Teachers Salaries Stack UpEducation
“Mighty” Teachers’ Union Strikes Chicago
Some 25,000 members of the Chicago Teachers’ Union (CTU) went on strike today, leaving 400,000 students out of school and parents scrambling to find safe places for their children to…
Media
Read More: “Mighty” Teachers’ Union Strikes ChicagoPublic Union Democracy
Why Cities Fail
Harrisburg is broke. Literally. So are 26 other cities across the commonwealth that are stuck in the state's Act 47 program for financially strapped municipalities. Many enter in – like…
Commentary
Read More: Why Cities FailPublic Union Democracy
Indiana: Ending Forced Unionism Creates Jobs
It’s been only six months since Indiana became the 23rd right to work state in America, but it is already seeing a surge in business activity. Indiana adopted right…
Media
Read More: Indiana: Ending Forced Unionism Creates JobsGovernment Accountability
Labor Day is for Taxpayers, Not Unions
Comprising the government employee unions, private sector unions, trial lawyers, extreme greens, and other nonprofits that feed off taxpayer money, the Union Party is aligned for a single purpose: To…
Commentary
Read More: Labor Day is for Taxpayers, Not UnionsPublic Union Democracy
Union Leaders Misrepresent Pension Reforms
CF Senior Fellow Rick Dreyfuss testified yesterday before the Pennsylvania House about how to make our public pensions current, affordable and predictable, proposing a five-step plan for doing…
Media
Read More: Union Leaders Misrepresent Pension ReformsPublic Union Democracy
Union Allowed to Stalk in Pennsylvania
A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce highlights special state laws governing labor unions. For example, four states, including Pennsylvania, have anti-stalking laws, but exempt labor unions…
Media
Read More: Union Allowed to Stalk in PennsylvaniaPublic Union Democracy
Taxpayer Tornado Sweeps Through Kansas, Union Party Swept Away
What’s one of the few things stranger than a CF staffer reading the Huffington Post? Easy. A CF staffer reading on the Huffington Post about a great victory for the…
Media
Read More: Taxpayer Tornado Sweeps Through Kansas, Union Party Swept AwayEducation
PSEA Blows Smoke Over Political Spending
School board members at the West Chester Area School District are negotiating a new contract with teachers, and rightly questioning why the district deducts union dues from teachers’ paychecks, when…
Media
Read More: PSEA Blows Smoke Over Political SpendingEducation
Unable to Win, Union Bosses Try to Change Election Rules
My younger brother Matt and I often enjoy an intense pickup one-on-one basketball game. Being seven years older, I had the advantage for a long time. As kids, I was…
Media
Read More: Unable to Win, Union Bosses Try to Change Election RulesPublic Union Democracy
Unions Bankrupt Scranton, Who’s Next?
The City of Scranton is broke. It can’t pay its employees and faces a budget deficit of about $16 million this year, thanks to a toxic combination of declining…
Media
Read More: Unions Bankrupt Scranton, Who’s Next?Government Accountability
Union Privileges Fuel More Money in Politics
Turns out not everything is bigger in Texas. The Lone Star State has twice the population of Pennsylvania, yet when it comes to political spending, Pennsylvania’s labor unions can outgun…
Media
Read More: Union Privileges Fuel More Money in PoliticsPublic Union Democracy
Union Bosses Fight to Stay Relevant
Labor unions are so livid that the Democratic Party is having its national convention in North Carolina—a right to work state, and the country’s least unionized—that they are staging…
Media
Read More: Union Bosses Fight to Stay RelevantPublic Union Democracy
Unions Spent $4 Billion Nationally on Politics Since 2005
Labor unions spend four times more than originally estimated on politics and lobbying, reports the Wall Street Journal, making them a formidable behemoth in state and national elections. In…
Media
Read More: Unions Spent $4 Billion Nationally on Politics Since 2005Public Union Democracy
Unions Fight Flexible Funding
Gov. Corbett’s budget proposed combining five county human services programs into one flexible block grant. In the past, state legislation dictated how much counties could spend under each category, regardless…
Media
Read More: Unions Fight Flexible FundingPublic Union Democracy
Voters: Limit Government Spending!
In a recent poll, Susquehanna Polling and Research asked 700 registered Pennsylvania voters if they would support limiting the growth of state government spending—legislation similar to the…
Media
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