Labor Issues

Repeal the prevailing wage law. Enact additional reforms to the unemployment and workers compensation systems, reforms that target cost drivers in both.  Make Pennsylvania a right to work state by securing the right of employees to decide for themselves whether to join or financially support a union. 

Please Support Senate Bill 166

Submitted by Maura Donley on Tue, 12/12/2017 - 4:13pm

George Washington famously stated, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” As government becomes larger and more powerful, President Washington’s insight becomes more critical. The inherent power of government should be recognized and treated as such; kept in check and harnessed. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that government remains truly neutral and impartial as it conducts the public’s business. That is why the passage of Senate Bill 166 is so imperative. 

Pennsylvania Again Near the Bottom in Competitiveness Ranking as Other States Widen Gap

What’s going on with the Tresco Paving Company, an open shop contractor in Westmoreland County, is sadly emblematic of a culture in Pennsylvania that has us languishing near the bottom in an annual economic competitiveness ranking, Rich States, Poor States, by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

The Fairness Center: A Welcome Counterbalance to Bureaucrat Unions

The self-created image of public sector unions as the protector-of-the-little guy is being expertly debunked by a new reform group. A series of legal actions brought by the Harrisburg-based public interest law center, The Fairness Center, reveal an ugly pattern of union bullying and trampling over laws and individual rights. The cases show that unions are really about squashing potential competitive challenges (like charter schools) and forcing workers, who oppose joining a union, to pay dues to support political candidates and activities - a direct violation of state law.

PLCB and the Right-to-Know

Submitted by Maura Donley on Tue, 10/27/2015 - 2:19pm

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently reported that LCB officials insisted the newspaper go through the state’s Right-to-Know process (RTK) for information that was already clearly a matter of public record. Reporter Kari Andren asked the LCB’s press secretary for basic information regarding a former employee but board members directed the press office not to release the information unless Andren filed a formal request with the state’s Right-to-Know office.

Legislation Striking Crimes Code Carve-Out Protecting Union Intimidation Imminent

The news coverage surrounding the trial and conviction of Ironworkers Local 401 boss Joseph Dougherty on federal extortion charges last month highlighted, in graphic detail, the reprehensible activity of some unions against merit shop contractors. It’s safe to say he didn’t intend it, but Dougherty has become the most influential advocate for proposed legislation in Harrisburg to give state prosecutors the means to target union violence.