Teacher Unions

If Pennsylvania students miss three days of school without an excuse, the law says they must be reported. But across the commonwealth, certain teachers have been absent for years—without consequences

As students across Pennsylvania head back to school, government unions that are supposed to speak for teachers are instead trampling their rights in order to advance the union leaders’ agenda. A review of labor contracts in Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts shows five ways these collective bargaining agreements trap teachers—and cost taxpayers:

As all eyes turn to Philadelphia next week for the Democratic National Convention, just steps from the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphians are suffering from high taxes, union-controlled public schools, and a government-run liquor monopoly.

Today, the state House Education Committee advanced HB 2125, which would strictly limit teachers’ unions’ ability to pluck teachers from the classroom to work full-time for the union while remaining on the public payroll.

Gov. Tom Wolf today chose to side with teachers’ union leaders over high-performing teachers by vetoing the Protecting Excellent Teachers Act (HB 805). The bill, championed by Rep. Stephen Bloom, would have ensured that during furloughs, teachers are retained based on performance rather than on the number of years they have been teaching.

How much money will you have to pay a private political organization just to keep your job this year? If this question sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is—unless you are a public school teacher in Pennsylvania. Then, it’s the sad reality. But a U.S. Supreme Court case could change that for tens of thousands of teachers like us.