Here is something no Philadelphian wants to hear: New
Yorkers have it better.
While those words border on blasphemy in the City of
Brotherly Love, when it comes to the recent SEPTA strike, they're true. The
strike that left thousands of Philadelphians stranded with no way to work,
school, medical appointments, and more would have been illegal in New York,
leading to stiff penalties for the unions representing workers from NYC's
Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Why? In that state - and in 28 others - state law
prohibits any public workers (except those covered by specific federal law)
from
striking.
Yet, in the last two months alone, Pennsylvania has
witnessed two major public-sector strikes. Aside from SEPTA, the Association of
Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties set up its picket line in
October, leaving college students concerned about the future of their education.
Ask anyone what caused the strikes, and you'll likely
hear "health-care costs" among the top answers. But many states don't
allow government unions to negotiate health-care costs. Even some blue states
limit the benefits government unions can negotiate.
For example, facing unaffordable health-care costs for
municipal workers, Massachusetts in 2011 passed reform giving unions two
choices: (1) agree to a 30-day limit on negotiating new, less expensive health
plans, and workers can net some of the resulting savings; or (2) employees can
join plans provided by the state's lower-cost benefits administrator. By 2014 -
just three years later - the changes had yielded about $250 million in
health-care savings.
Unfortunately, in Philadelphia - and across Pennsylvania
- our public-sector labor laws all too often leave union members and the public
interest behind. Far from protecting workers' rights, Pennsylvania's public
labor laws trap workers in a system that forces them to pay the union simply as
a condition of employment and doesn't even ensure they can select the union
that supposedly represents them.
That's why the Keystone State received an abysmal D grade
in the Commonwealth Foundation's first 50-state report analyzing and grading
public-sector labor laws for their impact on workers' rights and taxpayer
dollars.
We looked at 11 measures that directly impact taxpayers
and government employees, including: Are government workers allowed to strike?
Are government union contract negotiations open to the public? Can public
resources be used to collect political money for government unions? Are
government unions required to hold elections to continue representing members?
And are workers forced to financially support a union as a condition of
employment?
Twenty-eight states scored a C or higher, while 22 ranked
D or F. In almost every area, Pennsylvania fell short. For example, 10 states
have some form of paycheck protection to prevent public resources from being
used to collect government unions' political contributions. Yet although 67
percent of Pennsylvania registered voters support paycheck protection, it has
not yet become reality in the commonwealth - but it's moving closer.
One state, Wisconsin, requires government unions to hold
regular elections to continue representing their members. Yet, of
Philadelphia's 8,000-plus public schoolteachers, not one had the chance to vote
for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) to continue as their union.
The PFT became the collective-bargaining representative for Philly teachers in
the 1960s and has never stood for reelection.
Public-sector labor laws aren't simply obscure statutes
with few consequences. They cut to the core of our liberties, including freedom
of association and freedom of speech. Additionally, they deeply impact workers'
rights, taxpayers' budgets, and, as we've seen, SEPTA riders' transportation.
But there is good news. Momentum is on the side of
workers' rights. In the last five years, Americans have seen an unprecedented
sweep of public-sector labor reforms. More states are embracing right-to-work laws
that give workers a choice, while others are protecting workers who choose not
to join a union. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania took a major step toward
contract transparency when Gov. Wolf signed a law requiring that the cost of
state government union contracts be made public before they are enacted.
From giving workers a voice to helping prevent
Philadelphians from again being stranded, Pennsylvania is ripe for many of
these same reforms that will ensure our public-sector labor laws benefit not
just a few, but everyone.
Source: Philly.com
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