Public Union Democracy
Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement Mandate
Summary Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire agreements between the government and a contractor that outline the terms and conditions for a certain project. Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote to state…
Read More: Shapiro’s Project Labor Agreement MandateCompulsory public unions threaten individual worker rights and cost taxpayers billions. Reforms to the Pennsylvania Public Employee Relations Act are needed to restore and protect workers’ rights. No one—including government employees—should be blocked from leaving a union. To increase government integrity and accountability, policies should be adopted that ensure all special interests groups, including government unions, interact with the state government on a level playing field.
Government Accountability
What Next for “Tea Party” Activists?
Following the recent “Taxpayers March on Harrisburg,” as well as recent health care protests in Washington DC and elsewhere, a grassroots organizer posed the question, “what should we do now?”…
Media
Read More: What Next for “Tea Party” Activists?Public Union Democracy
Pittsburgh not Prevailing
Pittsburgh City Council President Doug Shields is lobbying support for a prevailing wage law in the municipality. His bill would set prevailing wage rates for most employees working…
Media
Read More: Pittsburgh not PrevailingPublic Union Democracy
Pennsylvania: An Unequal Opportunity Employer
Equal opportunity has long been a cherished ideal in America. Yet state government is engaging in unequal contracting practices. Governor Rendell's administration is mandating discriminatory Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on…
Commentary
Read More: Pennsylvania: An Unequal Opportunity EmployerPublic Union Democracy
New Video: UPS vs. FedEx & Unions
Reason TV has a new video explaining the intense lobbying between UPS and FedEx, in which UPS is calling for FedEx to be covered under the National Labor Relations…
Media
Read More: New Video: UPS vs. FedEx & UnionsGovernment Accountability
Majority of Union Members are now Government Employees
The Heritage Foundation points out an interesting fact – 51% of union members are government workers, according to the most recent data, an all-time high. And I assumed General…
Media
Read More: Majority of Union Members are now Government EmployeesGovernment Accountability
Break Up SEPTA
How can Pennsylvania lawmakers avoid this mess? The first step is to open mass transit in Philadelphia to competitive contracting, whereby private companies would compete to operate SEPTA's network.
Commentary
Read More: Break Up SEPTAEducation
Privatizing School Bus Drivers
In last Tuesday’s race for Central Dauphin school board candidates clashed over the privatization of the district’s busing. The pro-privatization candidate- Chris Judd narrowly won, but that hasn’t silenced the…
Media
Read More: Privatizing School Bus DriversPublic Union Democracy
If Your Erection Lasts Longer than a SEPTA Strike …
Alex Charyna points out this tidbit in the Philadelphia Daily News – one demand of the SEPTA union was more Viagra: Yes, it appears that labor issues…
Media
Read More: If Your Erection Lasts Longer than a SEPTA Strike …Public Union Democracy
SEPTA Union Doesn’t Represent “The Working Class”
About 5,100 union workers for SEPTA went on strike early Tuesday, leaving 450,000 people to find new ways to travel. The union is demanding a 4% raise and an…
Media
Read More: SEPTA Union Doesn’t Represent “The Working Class”Public Union Democracy
Political Power of Public Sector Unions
The Weekly Standard has a good piece on the growing political power of public sector unions, with a short history lesson, and many of the consequences (e.g.
Media
Read More: Political Power of Public Sector UnionsPublic Union Democracy
Union Organizers Drown Out Voice of Rep. Bear
Today the state capital was abuzz with clamorous shouting from protesting union members. What was all the hullabaloo about? Union members organized in opposition to a press conference about a…
Media
Read More: Union Organizers Drown Out Voice of Rep. BearPublic Union Democracy
Teachers Compelled To Fund ACORN
The group ACORN has been in the news more often than it probably prefers to be, especially of late. But such is its notoriety. ACORN is not…
Media
Read More: Teachers Compelled To Fund ACORNPublic Union Democracy
Is “Card Check” Racist?
A new study on the Employee Free Choice Act finds that the ill-named legislation would deliberately harm minorities (HT: The Union Label) This proposal would likely expand labor hierarchy, labor market…
Media
Read More: Is “Card Check” Racist?Health Care
Whoops, We Were Wrong…
One of our goals at the Commonwealth Foundation is to predict the effect of proposed public policies. Most of the time, we are proven correct, and humbly announce, "We told…
Commentary
Read More: Whoops, We Were Wrong…Public Union Democracy
Happy Labor (Union Free) Day
Samuel Gompers, the father of the modern American labor union movement, once said, I want to urge devotion to the fundamental of human liberty-to the principles of voluntarism. No…
Media
Read More: Happy Labor (Union Free) DayPublic Union Democracy
Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for Disaster
Once again, state lawmakers, bureaucrats and special interest groups are looking for another way to grab more money from Pennsylvanians. The latest rendition is tolling Interstate 80 across the northern…
Commentary
Read More: Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for DisasterPublic Union Democracy
Address the Spending Side on Road Funding First
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued a statement responding to our blog post that explains state transportation spending has increased 121% since 1995, more than triple the rate…
Media
Read More: Address the Spending Side on Road Funding FirstEducation
Won’t Somebody Think of the Children!?
Jim Roxbury brought to my attention a quote by Governor Rendell that “the one group that has no lobbyist here in Pennsylvania is our children” as well as too…
Media
Read More: Won’t Somebody Think of the Children!?Public Union Democracy
Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for Disaster
With a renewed interest in tolling Interstate 80, I find it necessary to reiterate several points of concern surrounding Act 44 and its implications on Pennsylvania’s economic future: Act…
Media
Read More: Tolling I-80 is a Recipe for DisasterPublic Union Democracy
The Perils of Slavish Devotion to Organized Labor
Labor unions maintain a political stranglehold on legislation in Pennsylvania despite representing less than two out of 10 workers.
Commentary
Read More: The Perils of Slavish Devotion to Organized LaborEducation
Who’s For the Children?
In the television comedy The Office, dim-witted boss Michael Scott remarks that he likes giving presents because they are “like this tangible thing that you can point to and say…
Commentary
Read More: Who’s For the Children?