In the days following the landmark Supreme Court decision to protect the American worker from mandated union dues, the Pennsylvania Republican Party is wasting no time waiting for Governor Tom Wolf, one of Pennsylvania unions’ strongest allies, to comply with the ruling. Party officials sent a letter to the Office of Governor Wolf, highlighting the SCOTUS case and how the Janus ruling subsequently invalidates the current Pennsylvania law, the Employee Fair Share Fee Law of 1993. The policy required the Commonwealth to automatically deduct Janus- covered allowances from the paychecks of Pennsylvanians.
Governor Wolf condemned the SCOTUS ruling in favor of the American worker, claiming that he will always stand with unions and the average Pennsylvania worker. Wolf falsely insinuated that this decision by the highest court of the United States will destroy labor unions and harm the American worker, when, in fact, the effect will be just the opposite. The Supreme Court’s singular job is to uphold the law while adhering to the Constitution, and the justices on the bench did just that. Forcing workers to pay out of pocket, and a very pretty penny out of that pocket at that, to unions that spend the funds exclusively on Democratic causes is unconstitutional. Forcing workers to submit to causes and speech that they may disagree with, via their paychecks, is a violation of one of the most basic freedoms guaranteed to all Americans: the First Amendment. The Janus Supreme Court ruling will empower American workers to invest in causes and candidates at their own will, and not force them to be at the discretion of government mandates and the agenda of labor union officials. Governor Wolf ignored the win for the Pennsylvania worker, and instead sounded off on the Supreme Court, in defense of his labor union allies:
When people can come together and use their voices, we all benefit. And when workers are silenced, families pay the price and the economy becomes more rigged for the rich and powerful.
— Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) June 27, 2018
Governor Tom Wolf has spent his tenure as Governor of Pennsylvania in the pocket of unions who funnel money to him. Per a Commonwealth Foundation report in 2017, the Governor received $8 million dollars from public sector union political action committees (PACs). Not even including money from union dues given to Wolf, unions make up 36% of the Governor’s total fundraising for 2018 so far.
It remains to be seen how Governor Tom Wolf, once voted America’s most liberal governor, will handle the outcome of the SCOTUS ruling on unions. The Governor is one of public sector unions’ most treasured allies, and the funds poured into Wolf’s endeavors speak volumes to Wolf’s relationship with Pennsylvania unions.
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