Education

Philly Teacher Union Threatening to Strike is Mostly Performative

  • David Osborne
  • June 24, 2025

Philadelphia’s massive teacher union—the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT)—has already threatened to disrupt students’ education when the doors open this fall. Just a few months into negotiations over a new…

Blog

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Public Union Democracy

Public sector union employees deserve more power over their leadership

  • Jennifer Stefano
  • May 8, 2023

Originally published in The Philadelphia Inquirer In a stunning admission of incompetence, Jerry Jordan, the boss of Pennsylvania’s largest teachers’ union, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, admitted he only…

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Public Union Democracy

Pa. Union Membership Declines Post-Janus

  • Jessica Barnett
  • July 24, 2019

In the year following Janus v. AFSCME, which stopped unions from charging nonmembers “fair share fees,” a central question emerged: how would this ruling impact total union membership? Official reports…

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Education

Philly Union Contract Underscores Need for Transparency

  • James Paul
  • June 19, 2017

On Monday evening, members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) voted to approve a new labor contract with the School District of Philadelphia. Scant details have emerged on…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Debunking Union Leaders’ Paycheck Protection Myths

  • March 3, 2017

It’s been said death and taxes are life’s only two certainties. Here’s a third: government union leaders’ continual misrepresentation of paycheck protection. For example, recently, the Philadelphia Federation of…

Media

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Education

Details Emerge on Philly Union Negotiations

  • James Paul
  • November 29, 2016

Intrepid reporter Kristen Graham of the Philadelphia Inquirer unearthed several details from contract negotiations between the school district of Philadelphia and the local teachers’ union, the Philadelphia Federation of…

Media

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Education

Ghosts in the Education Machine

  • James Paul
  • October 28, 2016

If Pennsylvania students miss three days of school without an excuse, the law says they must be reported. But across the commonwealth, certain teachers have been absent for years—without consequences…

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