Category: Unions

Pope Francis Inspires John Kane Rebuke

Pope Francis, Oct. 23, declared corruption to be a greater evil than sin.

Remorse is possible only when one is aware of evil, which is not the case with a corrupt person said the Pope in an address to the International Association of Penal Law.

“It is hard for the one who has it to realize it; others realize it and have to tell him,” the Pope said.

Well, if  the Pope wants it, here it goes:

John Kane, you are corrupt.

You  use the automatically,  mostly involuntarily, deducted money from the paychecks of the members of Plumber’s Local 690 of Philadelphia and Vicinity for a $119,213 salary to co-chair the union’s vacation fund, a job  that you have confessed to the IRS takes but one hour per week.

That is corruption.

And that’s on top of the $156,537 you get as the union’s business manager for which you claim to work 39 hours per week.

That is corruption

And you fathered a child out of wedlock and neglected to support her.

That is corruption.

And you tried to talk her mother into aborting her.

That is corruption.

So Mr. Kane, in the name of Pope Francis, quit your campaign for Pennsylvania state senator in the 26th District as you are obviously not fit to hold office.

And give up your union salary as it is no different than theft.

Raise your family on the $40 per hour you would expect to earn in your trade.

And try to pay back the mother you abandoned  some of the $245,000 it cost her and her family to raise your daughter.

Hey, somebody had to say it.

In  related matter, Francis said “The scandalous concentration of global wealth is possible through the connivance of political authorities.”

Welcome to the Tea Party, Your Holiness.

Pope Francis Inspires John Kane Rebuke

Pope Francis Inspires John Kane Rebuke

Paycheck Protection Amendment Defeated

An amendment to a school emergency allergy bill, (HB 803) instituting “paycheck protection” was defeated 28-20, yesterday, Oct. 15.

All Democrats voted nay excepted for LeAnna Washington who didn’t vote. They were joined by Republicans Pat Browne, Stewart Greenleaf, Bob Mensch, John Rafferty,  Tommy Tomlinson and Eric Erickson.

Erickson represents the 26th District in Delaware County. There is no point in giving him grief, though, as he vacates his seat this December.  We are disappointed it should be noted.  He has indicated paycheck protection is not something he opposed.

The others, except for Browne who represents Lehigh County, also represent the Philadelphia suburbs.

Paycheck protection would end the almost universal Pennsylvania practice of union dues, fees and political contributions being automatically deducted from the paychecks of government employees including those in the public schools.

This would require supporters of those causes to write checks or make other arrangements to transfer the money, just like, well, the rest of us do.

In places where this was implemented the money for leftist “progressive” groups dried up. They are apparently not so popular that their flock won’t stop the tithes when given the chance.

The amendment was introduced by Scott Wagner of the 28th District who is starting to look heroic.

While there is no point in giving grief to Erickson one might want to send a nod of thanks to embattled Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi of the 9th District  who voted aye and represents most of the rest of Delaware County.

But also give a nod of thanks to Wagner and the others who are battling him.

Paycheck Protection Amendment Defeated

Paycheck Protection Amendment Defeated

 

Hat tip Matt Brouillette of Commonwealth Foundation

Hobby Lobby Wins, SEIU Loses

The Supreme Court, this morning, June 30, held that privately held corporations don’t have to cover abortion drugs for their employees as it would violate the First Amendment rights of their owners.

The decision in Burwell vs Hobby Lobby Stores was 5-4 with the all the Democrat-appointed justices dissenting.

It was written by Samuel Alito.

The Court also ruled 5-4, again with Alito writing the opinion and the Democrat-appointed justices dissenting, that those who are not “full-fledged” public employees  don’t have to pay dues to a public employee union as this would violate their First Amendent rights.

The case was Harris et al v Quinn, Governor of Illinois in with the State of Illinois was trying to make home health workers pay dues to Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Illinois and Indiana.

Union dues are used to fund the campaigns of Democrats.

Hat tip Bryan Preston at PJMedia.com

 

Hobby Lobby Wins, SEIU Loses

 

Hobby Lobby Wins, SEIU Loses

 

Union Leaders Above Law

By Matthew J. Brouillette

Pennsylvania’s government union executives should be at the top of any list of political power players in Harrisburg. With the kind of influence that millions in campaign contributions and political ads can buy, shouldn’t they follow the same lobbying laws as other political organizations?

Wendell Young IV, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union Local 1776, says yes. He told the watchdog group Media Trackers, “We shouldn’t be held to a different standard than everyone else.”

But the fact is, they are – it’s just a much lower one. And a recent investigation reveals an above-the-law attitude that goes beyond mere political privilege.

Media Trackers reports that the heads of three major public unions are not – and haven’t ever – registered as lobbyists, as a 2006 state law requires. A Commonwealth Foundation search of the Pennsylvania Department of State’s lobbyist database confirms this. Yet these union executives maintain frequent contact with lawmakers and staff, in person and via phone and e-mail, on legislative issues.

Young and David Fillman, executive director of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 13, are required to report their lobbying to the federal government. According to public records filed with the U.S. Department of Labor and examined by Media Trackers, Young reported 8 percent of his time as being spent on “political activities and lobbying,” while Fillman claimed 15 percent. Pennsylvania AFL-CIO president Rick Bloomingdale, the third union leader mentioned in Media Trackers’ investigation, isn’t required to make the same reports.

None of the three is registered to lobby in Harrisburg, though other leaders of nonprofits – such as the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) president, Michael Crossey, and Gene Barr, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, are.

When confronted about the lack of registration by a Pennsylvania Independent reporter, Young replied, “Clearly I do lobby, but it’s not my primary function as president of the union.” Young was paid $23,421 (8 percent of his $292,765 salary) for political activity and lobbying in 2013. Registration is required by the commonwealth if payment for lobbying exceeds $2,500 per quarter.

How can union leaders lobby against liquor privatization and pension reform for years without registering as lobbyists? No one’s been checking up on them – until now.

Such activities should be a wakeup call for union members who think their dues are separate from political activities. They aren’t.

Union members’ dues can legally be spent on political activity, whether in the form of political commercials, paid lobbyists, or get-out-the-vote efforts. Indeed, the PSEA told its members last year that as much as $7 million of their dues could be spent on “lobbying and political expenses” in 2013-2014.

In the case of the UFCW, even workers who have opted out of the union are forced to fund political activities.

Recently, some absurd ads vilifying the prospect of selling wine in grocery stores have blanketed the state. (They claim, “It only takes a little bit of greed to kill a child.”) Those ads were paid for by the UFCW, which funded a similarly over-the-top $1 million ad campaign last year.

But when the union reported last year’s campaign to the U.S. Department of Labor, it called the nakedly political ads a “representational activity” rather than a “political” one – and the difference matters.

Government workers, like teachers or liquor store clerks, who don’t wish to fund political ads can opt out of union membership. But in many cases, they still have to pay the union a “fair share” fee, which is supposed to only cover “representational activity,” like collective bargaining costs. That fee cannot be used for politics.

The union may view ad campaigns as “representational,” but lobbying on issues before the legislature is clearly “political.” Beyond the legal questions involved, the liquor store clerks and teachers who have jumped through hoops to keep their money from being spent on politics are still being forced to fund union political activity.

And this all happens courtesy of the taxpayers. Government union leaders use public resources to collect union dues, fees, and campaign contributions from workers’ checks and then spend that money on politics with impunity. In recent years, several elected state officials have been prosecuted for using public resources for partisan purposes.

If we can’t control the behavior of union leaders, we can at least stop using taxpayer resources to collect union political money. Tell your representatives in Harrisburg to support paycheck protection, which would prevent governments from deducting union dues from the checks of public employees – and force unions to play by the same political rules as everyone else.

Matthew J. Brouillette is president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation (CommonwealthFoundation.org), Pennsylvania’s free market think tank.

Union Leaders Above Law

Union Leaders Above Law

Paycheck Protection Passes Senate Committee

The Pennsylvania Senate State Government Committee, this morning, June 26, passed its version of paycheck protection 7-4 reports Matt Brouillette of Commonwealth Foundation.

The Senate bill is SB 1034.

The House State Government Committee passed its version, HB 1507, on Monday.

The bills would end the taxpayer-funded collection of government union political money.

Paycheck Protection Passes Senate

Paycheck Protection Passes Senate Committee

Why I Left Teaching

By Bill Frye

I taught science full-time for more than two decades and enjoyed a rewarding career educating a generation of public school students in Westmoreland County. I retired from teaching earlier than I wanted, though, and I’d like to tell you why.

As a union member for most of my teaching career, I never disguised the fact that I disagreed with much of the Pennsylvania State Education Association’s political dogma. The union promoted values and ideals that I not only disagreed with, but also routinely had no relevance to education.

Before you jump to conclusions, let me assure you that I’m not anti-union. I’ve been generally happy with the local union in my old school district. I’ve also been a member of the farmers’ union all my life. Unions have an important place in society.

It is the state and national teachers’ unions—the PSEA and the National Education Association—that I grew to resent. Their use of my union dues to support political causes I disagreed with ultimately led me to leave education.

Case in point: A school year’s first teacher in-service day usually consists of the administration welcoming teachers, introducing new staff and outlining goals for the year. But in the fall of 2012, PSEA sponsored a pep rally and played a video for the entire school staff to encourage us to help re-elect President Barack Obama. Normally, events like this happen after the school workday—when attendance is voluntary, not when teachers are a captive audience.

What’s more, the PSEA’s magazine The Voice—which is sent to 180,000 members and paid for with our dues—regularly featured ads praising President Obama while denigrating and lampooning his opponents. Teachers paid for this political activity no matter which candidate we personally supported—and every other taxpayer paid for it as well.

How? Pennsylvania allows government unions to use taxpayer-funded payroll systems to collect their members’ dues—as well as optional political action committee contributions that can be sent directly to politicians.

But aren’t unions prohibited from using members’ dues for politics? Take it from the PSEA itself: Last year, their magazine featured a notice that 12 percent (which amounts to $7 million) of teachers’ dues would be used for political activity and lobbying. That’s in addition to millions in PAC money.

Unions use teachers’ money to advocate for policies that will leave teachers, students and all of us poorer. The main example is how the PSEA is advocating against reforming our deeply indebted public pension system.

One incentive for me to continue in public education was the pay and working conditions for educators. I looked forward to what, at least in my opinion, is a very generous retirement—which I will credit the unions for helping to achieve. But I’m also a landowner and property tax payer. I’m told the pension systems are $50 billion in debt and will require huge property tax hikes if nothing is done.

I feel sorry for people on fixed incomes—like some of my teacher colleagues who retired years ago—who will have to struggle to pay these rising taxes.

Everyone agrees the pension system, as it currently exists, is not sustainable. There are solutions to bring economic viability to the system. But the PSEA, using members’ dues money, is one of the main roadblocks to reasonable reform. In a recent “alert” email to members, the union called the latest compromise proposal a “pension attack” that “targets women and new employees” while offering no solutions except to raise taxes.

I couldn’t take any more of PSEA’s fear-mongering and divisiveness on political issues, so I spoke out. As a result, the personal attacks I received (from union members!) made me choose to retire and focus on my farm business.

But, as a taxpayer, there’s no escape: I’m still forced to help PSEA collect its political money.

Legislation called paycheck protection would stop PSEA and other government unions from using public payroll systems to siphon their political money from teachers’ pay.

I think if legislators truly support teachers, they should pass this effort to give them a bigger say over how their money is spent in the political world. Government unions might then engage in productive negotiation instead of political lobbying.

Bill Frye is a retired public school science teacher from Westmoreland County.

 

Why I Left Teaching

Why I Left Teaching

House Committee Passes Paycheck Protection

The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee on a 14-10 vote advanced House Bill 1507 to the floor, today, June 23, taking the first step towards ending the taxpayer collection of government union campaign contributions and political money.

The legislation, called Paycheck Protection, would close a loophole that allows government unions, and only government unions, the ability to use taxpayer-funded payroll services to collect money used for political action committees and other purely political purposes.

“I applaud the House State Government Committee’s determination to restore fairness and accountability to a process that harms both taxpayers and public employees like teachers,” said Matthew J. Brouillette, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation. “Teachers like Keith Williams, who testified before the committee, now have hope that their voices will no longer be co-opted by union executives who abuse taxpayer resources and teachers’ paychecks to advance their own political agendas.”

Other public school teachers are joining Williams in boldly speaking out to end government unions’ special privilege to collect political money using taxpayer resources.

In a television ad campaign, Susan Hancock, a 40-year teaching veteran and union member, argues that, “[teachers’ unions] use our money for political causes that we don’t agree with.”

She wants Paycheck Protection to get her voice back and hold her union leaders more accountable.

The ad can be seen at www.cfpolicy.org/voices

Full-page newspapers ads—which ran in 14 newspapers around the state on Sunday—feature Robin Fought, an 18-year public school teacher, who asks, “Do you think it’s right to force people to fund a politician they disagree with?”

“Paycheck Protection would restore fundamental fairness to the political system and empower teachers with a bigger say in how their money is spent on political activity,” said  Brouillette, a former high school and middle school teacher. “When union leaders have to get their dues and campaign contributions directly from teachers—rather than having it automatically deducted from their paychecks—we will empower teachers to hold their unions more accountable.”

House Committee Passes Paycheck Protection

House Committee Passes Paycheck Protection

Prosperous Pennsylvania Blueprint

Commonwealth Foundation has created a well-thought plan to save the state. Call it a Prosperous Pennsylvania Blueprint.  Below is the executive summary.  The complete report in the form of a pdf can be found here. For the record,  BillLawrenceOnline   most vehemently opposes  leasing the Turnpike, which is a public resource. Our suggestion is to make it a freeway eliminating traffic snarls and allowing for far more entrances and, especially, egresses to be built . This would increase its utility and improve traffic flow in Pennsylvania  far less expensively than building new roads.

It should further be noted that  expensive I-76 makes the Port of Philadelphia less competitive with New York/New Jersey — no tolls on I-80 after all — and tolls are a rather inefficient way of collecting revenue due to the cost of infrastructure and personnel.

And E-ZPass, frankly has too much of a hint of Big Brother for us.

Freedom is good.

By Elizabeth Stelle, Bob Dick, Jessica Barnett

Over the past six fiscal years, the commonwealth has spent more than it has taken in.  This fiscal gap is projected to widen as expenditures are on pace to grow faster than future revenue. Such a structural deficit poses a threat to the very foundations of economic growth and job creation that lead to prosperity for Pennsylvania’s taxpayers.

From 1970 to 2014, state government spending rose from $4 billion to nearly $67 billion—the highest in state history. Adjusting for inflation, that’s an increase of $3,163 per resident.

This decades-long pattern has placed an undue burden on the backs of state taxpayers.  Pennsylvania has the 10th highest state and local tax burden in the nation.  Meanwhile, state and local government debt has grown to a combined $125 billion—nearly $10,000 per resident.

High spending, taxes, and debt hinders Pennsylvania families’ opportunities for prosperity.  The commonwealth is near the bottom in most state rankings of economic climate and has lagged the rest of the nation in job and income growth for decades.

Unfortunately, the prospects for improvement are overshadowed by the challenges lawmakers face in balancing our state budget.

Recent budgets relied heavily on temporary federal stimulus dollars and one-time revenue sources, creating an imbalance between spending and revenue that has not yet been resolved. Spending on Public Welfare—the largest department in the commonwealth’s budget—continues to grow faster than taxpayers’ income.  Debt payments and prison costs continue to eat a large share of the state budget.

The most pressing threat to our fiscal house is a looming public pension crisis.  With $47 billion (and growing) in unfunded pension liabilities between the two statewide plans for public employees, state pension contributions will skyrocket by 143% in the next five years.

This report outlines reforms to help build a foundation for lasting prosperity.  Our analysis focuses on three categories of reform.

First we address short-term fiscal reforms to deal with challenges facing our state budget.  We also identify long-term reforms to bring spending in line with inflation while reducing the size of government and the burden on taxpayers.  Finally, we discuss policy reforms aimed at economic growth.

These recommendations include:

–Cut corporate welfare spending—including Redevelopment Assistance Capital Spending, the Commonwealth Financing Authority, and the Horse Race Development Fund—and targeted tax incentives in favor of tax relief for all.

–Utilize part of the legislative reserve fund.

–Reduce reliance on driver charges and general tax revenue to fund mass transit, and shift to greater user fees.

–Allow school districts to use fund reserves to invest in pension funds and receive a credit for their future pension costs.

–Privatize and utilize competitively-bid management contracts for “yellow-pages” government, including state liquor stores, the Pennsylvania Lottery and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

–Enact comprehensive welfare reform to slow the rate of spending growth while also reducing poverty.

–Enact long-term care reform to encourage private long-term care insurance and reduce reliance on government programs.

–Increase school choice programs to provide families with greater educational opportunities at a lower cost per student.

–Limit future increases in government spending to inflation plus population growth.

–Lower the overall tax burden, rather than relying on economic development programs, to encourage economic growth.

–Enact a Right-to-Work law to make Pennsylvania more competitive with other states in attracting business investment.

Combined, these reforms detail a blueprint for a stable fiscal house that will provide opportunities for prosperity for all Pennsylvania families.

 

Pennsylvania Toll Booth Prosperous Pennsylvania Blueprint

Prosperous Pennsylvania Blueprint has mostly great ideas but the Turnpike belongs to the people. Get rid of the toll booths.

CBS Paycheck Protection Report

CBS Paycheck Protection Report

One of the CBS affiliates in the state did an excellent job reporting on the “paycheck protection” issue. If this was the norm in old media, old media would not be in the trouble it is.

 

 

 

Sobering Talk Concerning Pa

Sobering Talk Concerning Pa

With Matt Brouillette of Commonwealth Foundation (center) are Whitey Coyne, Lisa Esler, Charles Martini and William Lawrence Sr.

Matt Brouillette, president and CEO of the Harrisburg-based Commonwealth Foundation, one of the nation’s top think tanks, gave a sobering talk this evening, April 28, about what taxpayer activists and fighters of corruption face in Pennsylvania.

He said the reform Gov. Tom Corbett is pushing regarding the state-controlled distribution of liquor is “not about getting the government out of the booze business but giving the appearance of convenience.”

The privatization of the state owned “Wine & Spirits Shoppes” is popular with the populace across partisan lines. It’s not going to happen because it is not popular with special interests who send the bucks to legislators.

On a much more frightening note, Brouillette also said critically needed pension reform is not going to happen either.  He said state workers were “circling the wagons” to stop legislation to change their pension from a defined benefit one to the defined contribution one now the norm in the private sector.

He said the largest state-backed pension funds SERS and PSERS, that handle the retirement money for state workers and school teachers respectively, have unfunded liability of $57 billion and it’s “going up”. He noted that local school districts are on the hook for half of PSERS money so expect massive property tax hikes.

“There is a general lack of will to tackle the pension crisis,” he said. He said the solutions being proposed involve the state cutting its regular contributions and will only make things worse.

“If Republicans controlled the governor, house and senate, we might get some resolutions,” he said. After a pause, he said “You are supposed to laugh at that” the punchline being that the Republicans do have complete control in Pennsylvania.

“It’s not funny,” said a woman in the audience.

Brouillette agreed.

“The Big Government Party is the majority party in Pennsylvania,” he said. “And it has both Republicans and Democrats.”

Brouillette said that is the reason why his group is pushing paycheck protection as the priority.

Paycheck protection is found pending legislation HB 1507 and SB 1034 that ban the use of public resources to collect, bundle and transmit public sector union dues and PAC contributions.

“If an elected official tried to have money automatically deducted from an employees paycheck (to use for a campaign) they would go to jail.”

The PSEA and other government unions can do just that legally and without the employees permission as how to use it.

He said this is the main reason why the Big Government Party is in the majority in the state.

Brouillette says the Republicans are two votes shy in the senate of getting the reforms passed.

Brouillette also said that HB 1154, the bill that would end the allowance for union members to stalk, harass and threaten the use of weapons of mass destruction during labor disputes, was amended in the Senate in a way that supporters in the House fear that it was neutered.

In other matters, support was requested for Megan Rath who is taking on Democrat Congressman Bob Brady in Pennsylvania’s 1st District and for Bob Guzzardi who is running against incumbent Gov. Tom Corbett in the May 20 Republican Primary. Guzzardi, who is also a vocal opponent of Common Core, has made fighting for pension reform a linchpin of his campaign.

Lisa Esler noted that the group will be participating in an NRA Women on Target Instructional Shooting Clinic, June 28, at the Northern Chester County Sportsmen’s Club. The cost is $35 and covers the use of firearms, ammunition, shoot supplies, a t-shirt and goodied bag along with snacks. Call Theresa Reynolds at 610-304-5873 for information or email her at theresa6733@gmail.com

Maria Heider announced that there will a Twitter clinic co-hosted by Americans for Prosperity, 6:30 p.m., June 19, at the Marple Public Library. Call 610-572-3442 for information or to register.

 

 

Read more at BillLawrenceDittos.com for Sobering Talk Concerning Pa