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

Why Maryland is fighting windmills.

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 23, 2006

A George Will piece (Getting mugged in Maryland), explaining why the Maryland legislature has decided to attack the paper tiger of Wal-Mart. Will cites Wal-Mart’s ample benefits and pay,…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Union ousted

  • January 16, 2006

Montgomery County Court-related employees throw out AFSCME, reports The Times Herald.

Media

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Public Union Democracy

The best of the best, of course

  • January 8, 2006

The Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System and the Public School Retirement System are the envy of the government worker world. They are the most generous systems in the entire country.

Media

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Education

Unions Win: Florida Supreme Court Rules Against School Choice

  • January 5, 2006

News release from the Institute for Justice…. Florida Supreme Court Strikes Down School Choice Washington, D.C.-In a major blow to education reform in Florida, the Florida Supreme Court today struck…

Media

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Education

Rocky Mountain High

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 5, 2006

Denver enacts the nation’s first merit pay system for teachers in a large district. See this National Center for Policy Analysis summary of Denver’s new system and other pay…

Media

Read More: Rocky Mountain High

Public Union Democracy

What’s “Education” got to do with it?

  • January 3, 2006

The Wall Street Journal highlights the political agenda (via its $65 MILLION in spending to support political causes) of the National Education Association. This would not be a problem…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Teachers challenging union dues in California

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2005

California teachers have initiated a lawsuit against the two major teacher’s unions in that state over their rights: NRTW – December Foundation Action The Califonia Teacher Association and California…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Property Taxpayer Protections: Tax Referendum & Prevailing Wage

  • December 14, 2005

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is in the midst of discussing what to do about school property taxes. The discussion is an old one in Harrisburg. The complexity of this issue…

Fact Sheet

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Education

Is the NEA Really a NUT?

  • July 26, 2005

Is the NEA really a NUT? By asking, I’m not casting aspersions on the National Education Association’s sanity, just on its choice of name. The NEA’s British counterpart really is…

Commentary

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Education

Throwing a Party for the Educational Status Quo

  • July 18, 2005

The National Education Association recently concluded its annual convention in Los Angeles, gathering 8,000 delegates in celebration of the status quo in public education. When attendees weren’t offering a vigorous…

Commentary

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Education

The Union Behind the Curtain

  • April 7, 2005

California’s Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving his 49 colleagues across the country a quick tutorial in political courage. And Gov. Ed Rendell would be wise to sit up in class…

Commentary

Read More: The Union Behind the Curtain

Public Union Democracy

The Teachers Menace: Compulsory Unionism

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • March 29, 2005

“I want to urge devotion to the fundamental of human liberty—to the principles of voluntarism. No lasting gain has ever come from compulsion. … [T]he workers of America adhere to…

Commentary

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Education

The Somerset Nine: Pennsylvanias Magnificent Seven

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • March 10, 2005

What does it take for school board members to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ money? For the nine members of the Somerset Area School District (SASD) board of directors, the…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

Time to Labor to End Compulsory Unionism

  • October 31, 2004

"We want a legislative program led by leaders and staff with sufficient clout that they may roam the halls of Congress and collect votes to reorder the priorities of the…

Commentary

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Education

Union Propaganda Can’t Hide Charter Schools’ Success

  • October 24, 2004

There they go again. Back in July 2002, during a slow news period, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), a school employee labor union, issued a widely cited report "showing"…

Commentary

Read More: Union Propaganda Can’t Hide Charter Schools’ Success

Education

Set Our Teachers Free!

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • April 14, 2004

Remarks of Matthew J. Brouillette, President & CEO, The Commonwealth Foundation I'm Matthew Brouillette, president of The Commonwealth Foundation. Prior to moving into the world of public policy, I…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

More “Takers” Than “Makers”

  • August 27, 2003

Another Labor Day is upon us, but the organized labor union movement in Pennsylvania has very little to celebrate this year. Union membership in the private sector continues its decades…

Commentary

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Public Union Democracy

The Impact of Compulsory Unionism on Economic Development

  • November 1, 2002

Executive Summary With increasing global competition taking a toll on U.S. manufacturing jobs, and state governments and municipalities struggling to achieve greater operating efficiencies in the face of declining revenues…

Report

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Public Union Democracy

Nobody should be forced to pay for someone elses politics!

  • Matthew Brouillette
  • October 22, 2002

Testimony of Matthew J. Brouillette, President, Commonwealth Foundation Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the House Labor Relations Committee for the invitation to testify this morning on an important…

Commentary

Read More: Nobody should be forced to pay for someone elses politics!