Posts tagged PSEA
Democratic Governors Association, chaired by Tim Walz, involved in alleged union laundering scheme
August 7, 2024 // One of the three complaints, filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the Dauphin County District attorney accuses the Walz-chaired DGA of failing to report receipt of significant contributions from PSEA’s political fund in violation of Pennsylvania’s Election Code. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office has confirmed that the complaint has been forwarded to its Criminal Division for “further review.” If confirmed, the alleged violations may result in civil fines or criminal prosecution of PSEA and/or DGA officials.
Gov. Shapiro, Choose School Choice Over Union Power Grabs
May 18, 2023 // Government union PACs spent more than $20 million in Pennsylvania during the 2021–22 election cycle. More than 92 percent of those contributions went to Democratic candidates and causes. The money helped Democrats gain a majority in the state’s House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years. House Democrats, plus one lone Republican, have now backed the top priority of union executives. House Bill 950, a proposed constitutional amendment that would impose union mandates on employees who do not necessarily share the political agenda of union leaders, passed 102 to 99 on May 3. The bill takes its inspiration from a law out of Illinois that prohibits elected officials from advancing right-to-work initiatives that safeguard First Amendment rights. Josh Shapiro, the commonwealth’s Democratic governor who took office in January, has been a consistent opponent of right-to-work laws. However, he has not yet publicly commented on the push for union mandates in the current legislative session.
Op-ed: Hunter Tower: In Pennsylvania, Janus is more relevant than ever
June 21, 2022 // Government employee unions responded to Janus by adopting a variety of still-being-litigated defensive strategies, including: only processing opt-out requests during a two-week annual window; challenging each request in court, forcing individual workers to battle the union’s well-financed legal team; subjecting union defectors to workplace harassment; and, when all else fails, forging the worker’s signature on membership documents. HB-2042, Charles Lane
PSEA pressures members to oppose workplace rights bills
June 8, 2022 // Keep public employees’ personal information private (social Security numbers, home addresses, home telephone numbers, personal mobile telephone numbers and personal e-mail addresses); Let employees see full contracts before they’re voted on; Require employers to tell public employees they have the right to choose whether or not to join or pay a union; and Stop public employers from using public funds to collect political donations for the unions. PA House, union attack bills, House Bills 844, HB 845, HB 2042, HB 2048
Teachers Win Eight-Year Battle with PSEA: Judge Says Pa. ‘Fair Share’ Law Unconstitutional
May 27, 2022 // Explaining the ruling’s significance, Nathan McGrath, president and general counsel for the Fairness Center, commented: “The judge unequivocally stated that Pennsylvania’s ‘fair share’ fee law is unconstitutional under Janus. To my knowledge, this is the first time a state court has issued such a ruling.”
Public Employees Rally Around Labor Reform in Pennsylvania
March 15, 2022 // The Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee eventually passed four of the bills that were discussed by the committee that day. The bills would: Keep public employees’ personal information private; let employees see full contracts before they’re voted on; require employers to tell public employees they have the right to choose whether or not to join or pay a union; and stop public employers from using public funds to collect political donations for the unions.
Pennsylvania: Four Bills Would Empower Workers & Protect Taxpayer Resources
January 25, 2022 // “Pennsylvania should not have unconstitutional laws on its books. Nor should we use taxpayer-funded payroll systems to collect campaign cash. Correcting these problems will empower public employees and help ensure fairness in government. It’s encouraging to see House lawmakers moving to protect employees’ private data and shine the light of transparency on deals that cost taxpayers millions of dollars.”
MOONEY: Free Speech Suit against Teacher’s Union Could Boost Labor Reform
January 25, 2022 // “Pennsylvania should not have unconstitutional laws on its books. Nor should we use taxpayer-funded payroll systems to collect campaign cash. Correcting these problems will empower public employees and help ensure fairness in government. It’s encouraging to see House lawmakers moving to protect employees’ private data and shine the light of transparency on deals that cost taxpayers millions of dollars.”
Paycheck protection needed to prevent government payroll from funding partisan political activism
January 19, 2022 // But a proposed “paycheck protection” bill would end this practice by prohibiting school districts, and other public employers, from automatically deducting contributions to political action committees out of employee wages.
PSEA: Where do your dues go?
January 10, 2022 // According to PSEA’s latest Department of Labor report on spending during the 2020-2021 school year, the PSEA put over $900,000 of dues money into an account that it calls the “Fund for Student Success.” While money from the account cannot be given directly to political candidates, the fund has no obvious connection to students or their success. In 2018, all of the funds in the account were given to PA Action Alliance, a political committee that donates to progressive Democratic campaign super PACs.