Government unions have too much power

Originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

No one dominates political contributions like government unions. They spend millions on elections to buy their out-sized influence on officials and public policy.  Nationally, government labor union leaders spent a whopping $1.8 billion in union dues and political action committee donations on politics during the 2020 election cycle. In Pennsylvania, government unions have already spent $16.6 million for the 2022 elections.

With the influence that government union leaders wield in the political space, you might think they’re growing in numbers. But the data say otherwise. The nation’s four largest government unions have lost almost 219,000 members since 2017.

Despite the exodus of members, these government unions continue to maintain undue political clout because state laws empower their executives with special privileges. These make it difficult for workers to hold their unions accountable.

Read more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette