Dues deduction exploits Pa. teachers, taxpayers

This is how Rob Brough, a teacher in the Ellwood City Area School District, reacted to being forced to fund the PSEA: “Their agenda and political ideals are counter to what I believe, and it is a kick in the teeth every time my dues are withdrawn from my hard-earned paycheck and handed off to some organization that I would never contribute to of my own free will.”

Why such strong language? The PSEA itself provides the proof of its political nature. It reported spending $3.2 million on political activity and lobbying last year alone, and its political action committee (PAC) donated another $2 million directly to candidates.

Unbeknownst to most voters, taxpayer-funded resources are being used to sustain this behind-the-scenes political infrastructure. School districts, along with state government and municipalities, collect union dues — even nakedly political PAC money — by deducting them out of workers' paychecks, just like taxes. The state then bundles this money and cuts a check directly to union coffers.

Teachers themselves are often unaware of how this unfair system works against those the PSEA purports to represent. Robin Fought, who teaches in the Avon Grove School District in Chester County, commented, “To my surprise, our school district resources as well as my tax money are being used to deduct not only union dues, but political action committee funds for PSEA-PACE that go to candidates that I do not support.”

While teachers, state workers and other government employees can opt out of paying full union dues, many are still required to pay “fair share” fees just to keep their jobs.

The PSEA may be the largest of Pennsylvania's government unions, but it's far from the only one. The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union, United Food and Commercial Workers, and the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers spent another $1.6 million on lobbying last year, and an additional $2 million in PAC contributions.

No one disputes the right of teachers and government workers to organize and join a union of their own free choice, or to contribute to the campaigns and causes they believe in. But, likewise, no worker should be forced to join or contribute to union politics, nor should taxpayer resources be used to support any political activity.

Thankfully, nearly 80 percent of Pennsylvania voters agree that unions should not be able to use taxpayer resources to collect their members' dues, according to polling conducted this summer. The same poll found that even 75 percent of union members said unions should collect dues and political money directly from members, not use the government to do it for them.

It simply isn't fair to force workers and taxpayers to support partisan politics. It's time to end automatic dues deduction and free our teachers and government workers from an unfair system that violates their right to use their paychecks to advance their own political views.