Local Governments Push for Paycheck Protection

We’ve already highlighted the national attention paycheck protection received from the Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily. Now local governments in Pennsylvania are pushing for an end to the unfair political privilege of government unions.

The Berks County Commissioners passed a resolution urging the General Assembly and Governor Corbett to pass paycheck protection, which would end the practice of using taxpayer resources to collect political money. Christian Leinbach, Chairman of the Berks County Commissioners, explained why he supported the resolution:

“The single biggest issue I have is that in any organization, you vote with your money,” Commissioner Chairman Christian Leinbach said. “That’s the accountability that occurs between a member organization and its members.”

“There is not opportunity for accountability between employees and the labor unions to which they belong [with automatic dues deductions],” he added.

Commissioner Leinbach is exactly right. Passing paycheck protection legislation would make unions more accountable, and it may actually move union bosses to talk with their members.

Fortunately, Berks isn’t the only county pushing for paycheck protection. Commissioners in Lehigh County approved a motion calling for an end to taxpayer collection of government unions’ political money, a reform they’ve pushed for in the past.

As state lawmakers continue to debate paycheck protection, local officials don’t have to wait for Harrisburg to bring fairness to the political process. They can act now, and pass legislation prohibiting the use of taxpayer resources for politics, thereby protecting both taxpayers and union members.