MARCH 19, 2012 | Commentary by THOMAS J. GENTZEL, MATTHEW BROUILLETTE

Public Schools Can Do More with Less - If We Let Them

As families across Pennsylvania try to figure out how to do more with less in this difficult economy, our local public schools must also do the same.  But unlike fiscally sound kitchen-table decisions that can be made in the morning and implemented by lunch, elected school board members are forced to waste taxpayer money because of antiquat

MARCH 5, 2012 | Policy Report by PRIYA ABRAHAM, CARA DOCHAT

The Squeeze: Government Unions' Grip on Pennsylvanians

Pennsylvania's government unions wield tremendous political influence and advance policies that harm the commonwealth's taxpayers, children, and even their own members. Pennsylvania is a forced union state, meaning even workers who are not official union members must pay fees to the union as a condition of their employment. A single union usuall

OCTOBER 27, 2011 | Commentary by CARA DOCHAT, PRIYA ABRAHAM

Government Unions Steal Worker Freedom

Pennsylvania is one of 28 states in which workers can be compelled to give part of their paycheck to a union just to keep their job.  Moreover, even non-membership is costly. Those able to evade union coercion are still compelled to pay hundreds of dollars in fair share fees, or agency fees, to cover their supposed share of benefits

OCTOBER 27, 2011 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

Pennsylvania's Government Unions

Pennsylvania is a forced union state, meaning that workers can be forced to join a union or pay a "fair share fee" just to keep their job.  Most government units in Pennsylvania are "agency shops," with a specified union to which workers must pay a fee. When state and local governments automatically deduct dues and fair share fees from g

JULY 6, 2011 | Commentary by NATHAN BENEFIELD

Corbett's First Inning Scorecard

July signals the coming of two breaks in Pennsylvania—Major League Baseball's All-Star break and the end of the state budget season.   Having endured his first budget as the commonwealth's chief executive, Gov. Tom Corbett has effectively finished the first inning of a nine-inning baseball game.  The question is, how did

JUNE 2, 2011 | Policy Brief by NICHOLAS FETT

Pennsylvania's State Union Contracts

On June 30, 2011, 15 of the state's 19 government union contracts expire, with two more expiring in August. These 19 public sector unions represent 62,271 state employees, whose compensation from taxpayers exceeds $4.6 billion.  Here are some of the main provisions concerning wages, benefits, and key provisions in the contracts include.

MAY 2, 2011 | Infographic by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

How Labor Unions Politicize Public Schools

Graphic showing how unions politicalize public schoools.

APRIL 22, 2011 | Policy Points by COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION

School Taxpayer Referendum & Property Tax Relief

Gov. Tom Corbett's FY 2011-12 budget proposal includes $63.6 billion in total operating spending—$27.3 billion in General Fund spending—a reduction of $3.3 billion from FY 2010-11. This budget restores overall spending to pre-stimulus levels and proposes no new taxes. This is the fifth in a series of fact sheets on the state budge

APRIL 7, 2011 | Commentary by MATTHEW BROUILLETTE

Taxpayers First: The New, New Deal

Today, the average government employee enjoys better health care benefits, better pensions, better job security, and an earlier retirement than the average private-sector worker.  To pay for this, however, taxpayers have been strapped with unfunded liabilities that are poised to raise state and local taxes by billions of dollars in just

APRIL 5, 2011 | Compilation by ANTONY DAVIES, LAURA VICINIE, JONATHAN SCOTT, KAIT WOLF, LAUREN MONDSCHEIN, DEVIN BOWEN, NATHAN BENEFIELD

Public Policy and Free Enterprise in Pennsylvania

A Compilation

Public Policy and Free Enterprise in Pennsylvania represents a partnership with the Commonwealth Foundation and the department of economics at Duquesne University.  Key findings in these five papers include Over the past sixty years, increases in union membership rates correlate with slower growth in real per