Posts tagged AFSCME Council 13
Pa. Worker Sues Union, State Over Mishandled Promotion
June 13, 2025 // Veteran state employee Todd Burns was in line for a well-deserved promotion until state officials allegedly violated his employment contract to promote someone less qualified but who had close ties to management. Burns turned to his union for help, only for AFSCME, Council 13, to refuse to defend the contract, despite his many years as a dues-paying member. Now, Burns is suing his union for violating state law by failing to provide him with fair representation and his employer, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), for breaking his employment contract.
Pennsylvania union exodus reaches two-year high
February 18, 2025 //
At What Point Does a Nascent Worker Group Become a “Labor Organization”?
June 27, 2024 // Key points of the legal analysis: The Regional Director applied the broad statutory definition of "labor organization" from Section 2(5) of the NLRA. The decision analyzed whether the petitioner met the three-part test for labor organization status: (1) employee participation, (2) purpose of dealing with the employer, and (3) dealing with terms and conditions of employment. The Regional Director found all three elements were met, even though the petitioner was a nascent organization that had not yet engaged in formal bargaining. The lack of formal structure (no constitution, bylaws, dues, etc.) did not preclude finding labor organization status for an incipient union. The Regional Director concluded the petitioner qualified as a labor organization and directed an election in the stipulated unit.
Pennsylvania state court rules against union in worker dispute
February 27, 2024 // “AFSCME officials thought they could get away with sabotaging Penny’s grievance and openly discriminating against her, but the Commonwealth Court has ensured her complaint will be heard,” he said. “Union officials didn’t want to represent our client because she wasn’t a union member, but Pennsylvania law says public-sector unions have a duty to fairly represent everyone in a bargaining union – members and nonmembers alike."
Gustafson v. AFSCME, Council 13 CASE SUMMARY
December 2, 2023 // Penny Gustafson v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 13; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, District Council 83; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 2047; and Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
‘Right to Organize’ Amendment Violates Constitution
May 19, 2023 //
Pennsylvania Government Union Political Spending Skyrockets Even as Membership Declines
March 23, 2023 // “At a time when government unions are losing membership due to partisan political spending, government union executives have really decided to double down on the partisan political spending,” CF policy analyst Andrew Holman told The Pennsylvania Daily Star. “The recent data shows this. They’re using millions of dollars collected with taxpayer resources to fund these political-advocacy activities and I think that, really, members of government unions need to be aware of where their money is going and what their unions are advocating for.” Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro is a prime example of a Pennsylvania pol enjoying overwhelming advantage in this political-spending category. Government unions bestowed over $5.5 million on his 2022 campaign while state Senator Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) garnered a mere $1,000 from these associations while running against him. Public-sector labor money was only slightly less lopsided between the candidates for lieutenant governor: Democrat Austin Davis raised $77,000 from these groups while his GOP state House colleague Carrie Lewis Delrosso got only $1,550 from them.
Op-Ed: Standing up when my union let me down
July 19, 2022 // Soon, I found out that one PennDOT crew in the county kept working and avoided my agonizing decision. This crew included the union president, his relatives, and other union officials – all men. Some of them had less seniority than me. I was stunned. I never questioned whether the union would honor seniority rights. It’s written into our contract. I could – should – have been working on that crew instead of burning through my PTO. Mindy McFetridge is a PennDOT transportation equipment operator in Venango County and is the recipient of a PennDOT Workplace Hero award.