David R. Osborne
Senior Director of Labor Policy
David R. Osborne is the Senior Director of 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.
Fairness
Unions are failing to protect the privacy of members from hackers
Originally published by Penn Live. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) recently sued the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over concerns about Elon Musk’s crew gaining…
Media Hit
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Penn State faculty will get more than they bargain for with SEIU
Originally published by Centre Daily Press. Higher education’s future seems bleak. The national decline in enrollment has forced countless colleges and universities to tighten belts…
Media Hit
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Government Unions are Losing Money and Members—but Not Power and Influence
Originally published by Penn Live/Patriot-News. Pennsylvania’s second-largest union is on the brink of collapse. Last year, the Harrisburg-based subsidiary of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees…
Media Hit
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David Osborne joins the Guy Benson Show on Fox News Radio
Curious to learn how Trump’s Labor Secretary pick, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, might impact public sector union policy? David Osborne, Senior Fellow of Labor Policy at Commonwealth Foundation discusses this and more…
Media Hit
Read More: David Osborne joins the Guy Benson Show on Fox News RadioFairness
Shapiro’s Silent Partners
Originally published in the Delaware Valley Journal. There’s plenty to criticize about Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address, as many have done. Yet, one of the strangest aspects of the…
Media Hit
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Trump’s Labor Secretary Pick Is a Union Favorite—and a Threat to Right-to-Work Laws
Originally published in Reason. Given the salacious allegations against some of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominations, it is understandable how secretary of labor nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer has mostly flown…
Media Hit
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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,…
Podcast
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The Questions Chavez-DeRemer Must Answer
Originally published at RealClearPolicy Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) faces an uphill battle—and deservedly so. As President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer has both sides of the aisle…
Media Hit
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Unpacking Union Power: Trade-Offs and Impacts on Jobs with Liya Palagashvili
In this episode, Liya Palagashvili, a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center, joins host David R. Osborne to discuss her forthcoming research on the costs and benefits of powerful…
Podcast
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Will Lori Chavez-DeRemer Respect State Labor Reforms?
Originally published at Delaware Valley Journal Federalism is back. However, with the recent nomination of Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as labor secretary, Congress must stay true to the federal government’s…
Media Hit
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How Government Unions Won in Wisconsin by Stacking Judicial Deck
Originally published at The Daily Signal Remember when impassioned protesters stormed a Capitol building and disrupted the democratic process?No, not the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan.
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Trump Can’t Fight Big Labor Alone. States Must Also Help
Originally published at National Review President-elect Donald Trump is planning a new course for federal policy — regarding everything from foreign conflicts to environmental regulations — and he’s quickly forming…
Media Hit
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Challenging Exclusive Representation: A Fight for Free Speech and Union Accountability
In this episode of Disunion: The Government Union Report, host David R. Osborne interviews Nathan McGrath, President and General Counsel of The Fairness Center, about a potential Supreme Court case…
Podcast
Read More: Challenging Exclusive Representation: A Fight for Free Speech and Union AccountabilityPublic Union Democracy
Unions should be about employees, not about politics
Originally published at The Hill “I’ll be honest with you,” said Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in a recent podcast interview. “I’m a Democrat, but they have f—ed…
Media Hit
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Amendment One: Union Power, Politics, and the Future of Illinois Labor
Disunion: The Government Union Report’s David R. Osborne hosts Miley Smith, Senior Director of Labor Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute to discuss the impact of Illinois’ Amendment One –…
Podcast
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If Elected, Harris Will Carry Biden’s Torch as ‘Most Pro-Union President’
Originally published at Daily Signal Remember when then-candidate Joe Biden promised to be “the most pro-union president you’ve ever seen”? It’s been a go-to…
Media Hit
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Unions are planning a nationwide takeover — it’s already begun in Illinois
Originally published in The Hill In 2022, Illinois voters approved what they likely thought was an innocuous ballot measure, the Illinois Workers’ Rights Amendment, also called …
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Read More: Unions are planning a nationwide takeover — it’s already begun in IllinoisRegulation
How the Shapiro Administration Doubled the Cost of Broadband
Originally published at RealClearPennsylvania The digital divide – the gap between communities with and without access to high-speed internet – is a prominent issue in Pennsylvania. More than …
Media Hit
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Unraveling Union Dynamics: Michigan’s Reversal, Florida’s Reforms, and the Fallout of the Janus Decision
In this episode, host David Osborne is joined by Commonwealth Foundation Policy Analyst Andrew Holman. Together they co-authored co-author the most up to date report on public sector labor laws:…
Podcast
Read More: Unraveling Union Dynamics: Michigan’s Reversal, Florida’s Reforms, and the Fallout of the Janus DecisionPublic Union Democracy
Government Unions are Down — But Not Out
Originally published at The American Spectator In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court humbled public sector union officials accustomed to taking advantage of the public employees they were supposed to…
Media Hit
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The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws
Key Findings The four largest government unions—American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Education Association (NEA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU)—lost…
Executive Summary
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