Pennsylvania unions know that money talks

The Commonwealth Foundation has released a study on trade union and government union PAC money that flowed to Pennsylvania politicians in 2025. As you might guess: it’s a lot.

The labor union PACs spent $22.4 million in financial or in-kind political activity last year, an “off year” where there were few legislative elections and the only statewide election was for retention of three Supreme Court justices, the free market think tank noted.

The union PACs spent $2.2 million on the judicial retentions. Voters retained all three justices, Kevin Dougherty, Christine Donohue, and David Wecht. The unions spent $2.2 million to retain them.

Dougherty received the most union funding — $1.1 million. 

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals 5 and 98 spent $180,000 to help retain Dougherty. Dougherty’s incarcerated brother, John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty, led the Local 98. 

Government unions overwhelmingly supported Democrats for political office. Roughly 91 percent of partisan candidate donations went to Democrats, while Republicans received just over 9 percent, the report said.

PACs operated by Pennsylvania’s largest government unions — state-level affiliates of the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) — together spent over $5 million on electoral politics in 2025.

The spokespersons for NEA, AFSCME, SEIU, AFT, and UFCW did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) received the most from union PACs in 2025, more than $2.2 million. Shapiro is running for reelection this year and is widely thought to be a presidential contender in 2028, after then-Vice President Kamala Harris interviewed him as a possible running mate in 2024. That honor went to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Shapiro has raised some $30 million, which is more than any previous Pennsylvania governor heading into an election year, the foundation report noted. A spokesperson for Shapiro’s campaign did not respond when asked to comment.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker (D) received the next largest amount at $273,200, followed by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D) with $235,500. Parker is not up for reelection until 2027.

And Philadelphia Council President Kenyatta Johnson (D) followed Davis at $231,700.

“Union influence continues to plague Pennsylvania politics. Even in an off-year election, over $22 million flowed into the state from union pockets,” David Osborne, Sr. Director of Labor Policy for the Commonwealth Foundation, said. “While the commonwealth’s judicial retention races drew eyes and dollars, the more interesting investments went to candidates absent from the 2025 ballot box.”

Osborne noted that Shapiro received “nearly the same amount Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger received ($2,499,921) from union-sponsored PACs during her election year.”

Osborne added, “Armed with millions of dollars in resources and given special legal privileges, union executives exert undue influence on Pennsylvania’s political process. As a heated election year inches closer, union pressure and influence in Pennsylvania’s elections cannot be understated.”

Franklin & Marshall Professor Berwood Yost, director of the Floyd Institute for Public Policy Center for Opinion Research, said that “politicians receive money from all sorts of PACs, not just those representing unions, and that elected officials from both parties rely on contributions to fuel their campaign activities. 

“Until our current system of financing elections changes, we will continue to see these kinds of relationships between large donors and elected officials.

“Polls tell us that most people believe our campaign finance system needs to change, with large numbers even supporting a constitutional amendment that would change the current system,” Yost added.

Michael Kryzanek, a Bridgewater State University emeritus political science professor, noted that the 2010 landmark Citizens United Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates for political contributions.

“Contributions by unions in states like Pennsylvania, even in a non-election year, are not unusual since Political Action Committees from all the major players in the election process do the same. These PACs feel they must show loyalty and support on a consistent basis, so union contributions are all part of the campaign finance strategy. 

“As to a law to limit paycheck contributions by unions, this issue has been debated for years, with unions winning out, especially in a ‘union-heavy’ state like Pennsylvania. As Democrats expand their narrow hold on the legislature, a [paycheck protection] law… would be difficult,” he said. 

“It is important to stress that money runs politics, whatever the source. Unions are just one of those sources,” said Kryzanek. 

Linda Stein is an award-winning journalist who’s written for newspapers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona. Before joining Fideri News Network, she was the news editor for Delaware Valley Journal. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and earned her undergraduate degree from Arcadia University. Contact her at lstein@fiderinews.com.