PSEA Corrupts Pennsylvania, Teachers Would Quit It If Able

PSEA Corrupts Pennsylvania, Teachers Would Quit It If Able

PSEA Corrupts Pennsylvania, Teachers Would Quit It If Able By Sen. Scott Wagner

I have reported over the last several years in my email updates the power public sector unions have in Harrisburg and that these unions are essentially running Pennsylvania because of their power and influence.

There are two distinct types of unions: private sector unions and public sector unions. 

The first union group would be private sector unions, commonly known as the trade unions.

Trade unions represent electricians, plumbers, steelworkers, bricklayers, carpenters, equipment operators, steamfitters, and glass installers – mainly construction related workers.

The second union group would be classified as public sector employee unions.

Public sector unions represent school teachers and government workers.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association, commonly known as the PSEA, represents approximately 180,000 Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers throughout Pennsylvania.

Two other public sector unions that represent workers at the Department of Labor and Industry, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Department of Environmental Protection are the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, commonly known as AFSCME, and the Service Employees International Union, commonly known as the SEIU union. 

The PSEA represents approximately 180,000 K-12 school teachers in Pennsylvania. Each teacher pays approximately $800 per year in union dues to the PSEA.

Therefore on an annual basis, the PSEA collects approximately $144 million from 180,000 school teachers.

It is hard to know exactly how much of the $144 million is used for political purposes in Harrisburg and how much is used for bargaining and representation of the teachers.

I have seen first-hand the amount of money spent on political contributions to House and Senate members in Harrisburg and the amount spent on lobbying.

Penn Live reported in May of 2016 that $500 Million Dollars was spent on lobbying in 2015. Click here for the article: http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2016/05/monday_morning_coffee_lobbyist.html

The PSEA is the most powerful union in Harrisburg and to collect approximately $144 Million Dollars per year in dues makes the PSEA a very large enterprise.

At PSEA headquarters in Harrisburg there are several hundred employees that are paid by the teacher dues collected. 

 The best way to describe the PSEA’s headquarter in Harrisburg would be to say that this is where the PSEA Union Bosses have their offices.

There are many great teachers throughout Pennsylvania who do an excellent job of teaching our children and would rather not be a member of the PSEA, but they do not have a choice, and if they had the choice a large majority of teachers would elect not to pay dues to the PSEA.

The PSEA is also a member of the National Education Association commonly known as the NEA, and the PSEA pays dues to the NEA.

The NEA is based in Washington D.C. and had a budget of more than $341 million for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.

The operation of the PSEA and the NEA are large enterprises; just think that there are 49 other states in America that have teachers unions also that collect dues from their members.

It would be safe to say that teachers in schools throughout America pay several billion dollars in dues combined to teachers unions. 

Teachers unions have become big businesses and yield extreme power over their members and in the states they operate.

Some quick research reveals that the NEA actually is very clear that they represent teachers and do not represent the children because the children do not pay dues.

 Click here for three articles:

 http://dailysignal.com/2011/07/02/nea-convention-reminds-us-it%E2%80%99s-about-union-power-not-children/

 http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2011/02/23/teachers-union-big-wig-says-its-not-about-kids-its-about-power

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/06/the-failure-of-american-schools/308497/

 In the above articles, NEA officials actually make statements – “It’s Not About Kids, It’s About Power” and “When school children start paying union dues, that’s when I’ll start representing the interests of school children.”

These are very powerful statements that make it crystal clear that union bosses at state levels and the national level are in the game for power and money, and not the children.

It is unfortunate because a large majority of the school teachers in Pennsylvania do care about their students and would drop out of the PSEA if they had a choice but they don’t have that choice because of the power of the PSEA.

The PSEA  uses teacher dues collected to fight every effort that would result in solving the pension crisis and any initiative to eliminate school taxes on real estate in Pennsylvania.

In order for the teachers in Pennsylvania to stop being represented by the PSEA, it would require a decertification effort, initiated by a single teacher or group of teachers, but the PSEA will never let that happen, because the PSEA is all about power and money. 

Sen. Wagner represents the 28th District in the Pennsylvania Senate.

PSEA Corrupts Pennsylvania, Teachers Would Quit It If Able

Wolf Budget Kills Delco And Pa For That Matter

State Rep. Bill Adolph (R-165), in a  terrifying talk, told the Springfield Republicans, tonight, April 15, that the tax hike in the budget proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf would be the largest ever imposed on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Wolf Budget Kills Delco And Pa For That Matter

He said the $33 billion proposed budget would increase spending by 16 percent and the ways he is proposing to fund it would add $8 billion in taxes.

Wolf wants to hike the personal income tax to 3.7 percent from 3.07 percent and raise the sales tax to 6.6 percent from 6 percent but the real devils are in the details. Adolph pointed out that Wolf is seeking to expand the sales tax to services such as day care and nursing homes. The callow cruelty of such a suggestion can only come from one who has never had to worry about such things which in Wolf’s case would be himself.

Adolph said that the property tax reform proposed by Wolf would benefit 96 of the state’s 500 school districts while burdening  the rest.

He said Springfield residents can expect to spend an extra $8 million in taxes under Wolf’s plan.

He said that the details are spelled out at TaxPayersThatPay.com

Adolph noted that there are more sensible reforms regarding property taxes and he expects them to come up in May.

Adolph said another significant but ignored point concerns how Wolf wants to handle corporations. Wolf’s idea is to require combined reporting businesses headquartered in Pennsylvania. This is a method of taxation that  treats a parent company and its subsidiaries as a single corporation for state tax purposes.

Adolph said he has been told  bluntly by several major businesses that they will move from Pennsylvania if this happens.

State Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) also addressed the group and while his talk was much shorter it contained better news. He said the senate will soon pursue  pension reform in the way advocated by Sen. Pat Browne (R-16) who chairs the  Appropriations Committee. Browne wants  to change all state workers to 401-K type plans not just new hires. The existing defined-benefit plans are getting retired workers up to 80 percent of their salary and rising. This is unheard of in the private sector.

McGarrigle said such a change would likely be tested in courts but considering the existing pension fund deficit — it’s $50 billion — it’s in the self-interest of those with money vested in the program to go along.

County Councilwoman Colleen Morrone, who is seeking re-election, noted that the Marcus Hook refineries that were closed four years ago are now both open and that county policy played a part in saving them.

Mrs. Morrone is also CEO of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, Inc.

Township GOP Chairman Mike Puppio noted that the former ConocoPhillips refinery purchased by Delta Airlines is making a profit and is being expanded.

In political matters, Puppio said that the only race being contested in his bailiwick in the May 19 primary is Springfield’s 1st Ward Commissioner race and that the endorsed candidate is incumbent Ed Kelly.

He said he expects the Democrat County Council candidates to manage to get the 250 write-in votes needed in the primary to be on the ballot in November. The Democrat slate was knocked off the ballot after failing to provide the required documents to the proper people. Puppio said if they can’t follow those details they can’t be expected to follow the details in a $500 million county budget.

Springfield Commissioner President Jeff Rudolph of the 4th Ward said the new pool at the township Country Club is beautiful and has water jets for kids, lap lanes for adults, and a diving tank. He also praised the new lights on Saxer Avenue. He noted there was no township tax increase this year.

Wolf Budget Kills Delco And Pa For That Matter 

 

 

Kids’ Expo Is May 16

A Kids’ Expo sponsored by state Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, May 16 at the Gauntlett Center, 120 Media Line Road, Newtown Square, Pa. 19073. Kids' Expo Is May 16

Along with informational tables featuring representatives from state and county agencies and local organizations, there will be free refreshments, face paintings, games and a moon bounce.

Hat tip Delaware County Patriots

Kids’ Expo Is May 16

McGarrigle Explains Opposition To Mary’s Law, Poorly

Sen. Tom McGarrigle (R-26) sent the following letter, March 9, in response to a constituent query regarding his opposition to Mary’s Law or SB 501: McGarrigle Explains Opposition To Mary's Law, Poorly

Dear Constituent:

Thank you for contacting my office to question why I voted against the legislation that would enact “Mary’s Law”, also known as paycheck protection.  This legislation has been introduced as Senate Bill 501.  To be accurate, I did not vote against Senate Bill 501.  On March 2, 2015, I voted against a proposed amendment to the bill.  Senate Bill 501 has not yet been advanced for a vote on final passage.  I do, however, intend to vote against the bill should that event occur.

I believe Senate Bill 501 unfairly singles out state and school employees.  Union members and non-members already enjoy a well-established legal right not to contribute to union political spending.  Unions cannot force employees to have money for representation or political activities automatically deducted from their paycheck without authorization. Paycheck-protection legislation does not provide workers’ with any rights they do not currently enjoy, but it deprives choice from workers who want a union with an effective political voice.  Finally, I cannot justify Senate Bill 501 on the rationale that it will save money, since payroll deduction has almost zero cost to taxpayers.

Thank you again for contacting me in regard to my position on this issue.
 
Sincerely,

Thomas J. McGarrigle, Senator

OK, some background. Mary’s Law is named for Mary Trometter, a professor at Pennsylvania College of Technology, in Williamsport and a 20-year member of the Pennsylvania State Education Association which is the state’s main teachers union.

Just days before the Nov. 4 election, leaders from the national and state teachers unions sent a letter to her husband, urging him to “Please join Mary in in voting for Tom Wolf for Governor.”

Mary had no plans on voting for Wolf. She initially ripped it up and threw it in the trash then started thinking about it.  She investigated and found out that the letter was sent using money from the  NEA Advocacy Fund.

Now, Sen. McGarrigle is correct in the sense that that state law says “no employe(e) organization shall make any contribution out of the funds of the employe(e) organization either directly or indirectly to any political party or organization or in support of any political candidate for public office.”

So, um, why did Mary’s husband get the letter? The union says the law doesn’t apply to communications with members of the union. LOL.

Mary also found that the PSEA publication The Voice, which is funded with union dues,  took a strong pro-Wolf stand. She thought that was kind of unfair as well as she obviously couldn’t stop her dues from being used to pay for the union’s newsletter.

How about Sen. McGarrigle, you do what’s really fair and just end the automatic deduction of dues from public employee paychecks? If the union actually provides value for its members it will do just fine. If not, well, look what happened in Wisconsin.

People not being made to pay for something they don’t believe is the definition of fairness.

Question Sen. McGarrigle: If Scott Walker is the Republican nominee will you campaign for him.

Here is Mary Trometter explaining Mary’s Law:

McGarrigle Explains Opposition To Mary’s Law, Poorly