david osborne

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.

Fairness

Will Lori Chavez-DeRemer Respect State Labor Reforms?

  • David Osborne
  • December 9, 2024

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

Read More: Will Lori Chavez-DeRemer Respect State Labor Reforms?

Public Union Democracy

How Government Unions Won in Wisconsin by Stacking Judicial Deck

  • David Osborne
  • December 9, 2024

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.

Media Hit

Read More: How Government Unions Won in Wisconsin by Stacking Judicial Deck

Fairness

Trump Can’t Fight Big Labor Alone. States Must Also Help

  • David Osborne
  • November 26, 2024

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

Read More: Trump Can’t Fight Big Labor Alone. States Must Also Help

Public Union Democracy

Unions should be about employees, not about politics

  • David Osborne
  • October 23, 2024

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

Read More: Unions should be about employees, not about politics

Public Union Democracy

Amendment One: Union Power, Politics, and the Future of Illinois Labor

  • David Osborne
  • October 4, 2024

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

Read More: Amendment One: Union Power, Politics, and the Future of Illinois Labor

Regulation

How the Shapiro Administration Doubled the Cost of Broadband

  • David Osborne
  • September 10, 2024

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

Read More: How the Shapiro Administration Doubled the Cost of Broadband

Public Union Democracy

Government Unions are Down — But Not Out

  • Andrew Holman, David Osborne
  • September 2, 2024

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

Read More: Government Unions are Down — But Not Out

Public Union Democracy

The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws

  • Andrew Holman, David Osborne
  • August 28, 2024

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

Read More: The Battle for Worker Freedom: Grading State Public Sector Labor Laws

Public Union Democracy

Unions and the Federal Workforce: Challenges and Reforms

  • David Osborne
  • August 6, 2024

In this insightful episode of Disunion: The Government Union Report, host David Osborne is joined by James Sherk, the Director of the Center for American Freedom, to delve into public…

Podcast

Read More: Unions and the Federal Workforce: Challenges and Reforms

Public Union Democracy

Teachers’ Unions Influence and the Politics of Education

  • David Osborne
  • July 2, 2024

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

Read More: Teachers’ Unions Influence and the Politics of Education

Public Union Democracy

Debating Public Sector Freedom Post-Janus

  • David Osborne
  • June 4, 2024

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

Read More: Debating Public Sector Freedom Post-Janus

Public Union Democracy

New Yorkers are Moving to Florida—and Government Unions are to Blame

  • Andrew Holman, David Osborne
  • May 22, 2024

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

Read More: New Yorkers are Moving to Florida—and Government Unions are to Blame

Public Union Democracy

Union democracy? Not so much

  • David Osborne
  • May 17, 2024

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

Read More: Union democracy? Not so much

Public Union Democracy

Why have teacher salaries become stagnant?

  • David Osborne
  • May 7, 2024

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

Read More: Why have teacher salaries become stagnant?

Public Union Democracy

Demand more from CT public sector union officials

  • David Osborne
  • April 15, 2024

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

Read More: Demand more from CT public sector union officials

Public Union Democracy

What happened when a teacher spoke out?

  • David Osborne
  • April 3, 2024

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

Read More: What happened when a teacher spoke out?

Public Union Democracy

State of the Unions: Examining Union Membership in State Government

  • Andrew Holman, David Osborne
  • March 11, 2024

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

Read More: State of the Unions: Examining Union Membership in State Government