David R. Osborne
Senior Fellow
David R. Osborne is the Senior Fellow for Labor Policy with the Commonwealth Foundation.
David is an attorney with on-the-ground experience advocating for teachers, firefighters, and other public employees mistreated by union officials. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, David was the CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment, a nonprofit organization that supports, educates, and empowers public employees to exercise their First Amendment rights.
He also served as President & General Counsel of the Fairness Center, a nonprofit, public-interest law firm providing free legal representation to those hurt by public sector union officials, and as a Presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel, which resolves labor impasses between federal agencies and federal employee unions.
David earned his Juris Doctor (JD) at Florida State University College of Law and holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and radio/television communications from the University of Central Florida.
David has been happily married since 2004 and they are proud parents to four beautiful children.
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…
Podcast
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Debating Public Sector Freedom Post-Janus
In this episode, host David R. Osborne and Vice President and Legal Director of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation Bill Messenger delve into the complexities of public…
Podcast
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New Yorkers are Moving to Florida—and Government Unions are to Blame
Originally published at RealClearPolicy What do former President Donald Trump, Derek Jeter, Jennifer Lopez, and millions of New Yorkers have in common? They all packed their bags and moved…
Media Hit
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Union democracy? Not so much
Originally published at The Mercury Another rowdy student group recently took over an Ivy League school, driven by outside agitators who neither attend nor care about the university’s success.
Media Hit
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Why have teacher salaries become stagnant?
Join host David Osborne and guest Christian Barnard (Assistant Director of Education Reform at Reason Foundation) as they delve into the intricate dynamics behind the stagnant teacher salaries despite soaring…
Podcast
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Demand more from CT public sector union officials
Originally published at the Hartford Courant In Connecticut, getting a job in state government comes with strings attached. As soon as you’re hired, the state sends your contact information,…
Media Hit
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What happened when a teacher spoke out?
In this episode of Disunion: The Government Union Report, host David Osborne interviews physical education teacher John Grande. Mr. Grande has been a teacher for 36 years. After expressing frustration…
Podcast
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State of the Unions: Examining Union Membership in State Government
Key Findings Public sector labor unions in 33 states represent state government employees, a segment of overall public sector employment, for purposes of collective bargaining. For this research, 27 of…
Executive Summary
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Season 1 Premier Featuring Professor Michael Hartney
How did teachers unions morph from representing teachers’ needs to some of the largest special interest and politically active organizations in our country? In the series premier of Disunion: The…
Podcast
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With Unions, the Numbers Tell the Story
Originally published at Townhall Newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows union membership rates fell nationwide last year, continuing a yearslong trend. BLS’s union…
Media Hit
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When Unions Play Politics
Originally published at Townhall Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud recently observed, “Basketball players want to be football players, and football players want to be basketball players.”…
Media Hit
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PA House Democrats Want You to Pay Striking Workers
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania Publicly funding people not to work is too radical a policy even for California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Though he has every reason to curry favor…
Media Hit
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The Battle for Worker Freedom: How Government Unions Fund Politics Across the Country
Key Findings The four largest government unions, the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and Service Employees International…
Executive Summary
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Unions are hurting taxpayers and Pennsylvania’s economy
Originally published at The Patriot-News The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike recently reached Dauphin County, with 145 employees at the Mack Trucks remanufacturing plant in Lower Swatara Township walking…
Media Hit
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UAW Ain’t Nothin’ Compared to Public Sector Unions
Originally published at Townhall For the media and union executives, the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against automotive plants in Missouri, Ohio, and Michigan is the gift that keeps…
Media Hit
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This Labor Day, ask yourself: Are unions living up to their promises?
Originally published at The Hill Within days of signing legislation protecting the rights of public employees, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was sued twice by the…
Media Hit
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PA Needs to Empower Workers—Not Union Executives
Originally published in the Delaware Valley Journal The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 950, which proposes a state constitutional amendment empowering public sector union executives. Unfortunately,…
Media Hit
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These powerful unions helped flip the Pennsylvania House
Originally published in the Bucks County Courier Times Last November, Pennsylvania Democrats captured the state House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years. Behind the flip was…
Media Hit
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Pennsylvania House Labor & Industry Committee Testimony on HB 950
Chairmen Dawkins and Mackenzie: Good afternoon. Thanks to Chairmen Dawkins and Mackenzie for the invitation to testify on this resolution, and thanks to the rest of the committee for your…
Testimony
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PA Education-Funding Lawsuit Opens the Floodgates for Reform
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania In February, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania issued a controversial decision that could end a long-running, high-profile lawsuit over the state’s funding of public schools. The…
Media Hit
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Pennsylvania’s teachers unions care about lining their pockets — not about teachers or students
Originally published at Broad + Liberty Last month, the commonwealth’s largest teachers’ union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), blasted a thank-you to parents and teachers for classroom success in newspapers across…
Media Hit
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