Commentaries
The Fairness Center represents clients in both the court of law and the court of public opinion. We’ve helped our clients tell their stories in local, state, and national news and opinion outlets to help them accomplish their goals. Read and share their stories below.
“The PSC—which promotes BDS and defends anti-Semitic statements—also represents me and hundreds of other Zionist Jews in collective bargaining, even if we have resigned from, or never joined, the union. Right now, the union is concluding negotiations on a new contract. It has the power to demand changes that would hold accountable students, faculty, and administrators who promote anti-Semitism, vandalize campus buildings, or create an unsafe working environment for Zionists like me. But in the union’s 32 bargaining updates they haven’t laid out a single provision or concern related to anti-Semitism. Still, New York law says I must accept the union’s representation anyway—even if its leaders overlook or aid those seeking to drive me from campus.”
“As a Zionist Jewish professor and department chair at the City University of New York, I have witnessed and been a victim of the pervasive anti-Semitism on CUNY’s campuses. In 2021, the EEOC substantiated my claim that CUNY and its faculty union, the Professional Staff Congress, discriminated against me and other Jewish professors because of my religion. So, I applauded when Gov. Kathy Hochul commissioned a report to expose and correct the hatred I had been fighting for years. I should have known better.”
Josh Shapiro rescued me
from Soviet antisemitism,
can continue fighting for Jews
Commentary by Avraham Goldstein
“But Shapiro is the kind of leader who “lean[s]” on his “faith” and doesn’t take “no” for an answer – especially when he knows he’s in the right. How do I know? When he was just six, he launched a years-long campaign that helped my family escape Soviet antisemitism. Now, I’m facing antisemitism in America, and by supporting my cause again, Shapiro can double down on his advocacy for victims of hate – and steer others in his party to do the same.”
How we exposed corruption in
Pennsylvania’s corrections union
Commentary by Chris Taylor and Cory Yedlosky
“[U]nion officials—who speak for me under state law—issued a resolution I, and many of my colleagues, view as anti-Semitic. Now I have a choice: Disrupt my life and damage my career again or rely on the constitutional protections that set America apart from most other countries on earth. I’m done running.”
“I’ve represented union members fighting to defend their rights against some of the largest public-sector unions in the country. Now, I’m seeing a new trend: union officials in historically private unions across the Northeast outright denying that Janus applies to the public employees they represent.”
“The same people who referred to Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state are negotiating the salary and working conditions of Jewish professors at CUNY. Absurd? I thought so, too, and several professors joined me in suing the union, CUNY, and the state of New York to escape the union for good.”
Josh Shapiro rescued me
from Soviet antisemitism,
can continue fighting for Jews
Commentary by Avraham Goldstein
“Shapiro is the kind of leader who “leans” on his “faith” and doesn’t take “no” for an answer – especially when he knows he’s in the right. How do I know? When he was just six, he launched a years-long campaign that helped my family escape Soviet antisemitism. Now, I’m facing antisemitism in America, and by supporting my cause again, Shapiro can double down on his advocacy for victims of hate – and steer others in his party to do the same.”
How we exposed corruption in
Pennsylvania’s corrections union
Commentary by Chris Taylor and Cory Yedlosky
“To do our jobs as corrections officers well, we have to trust that our colleagues will be there when we need backup…Likewise, for years, we trusted our union to have our backs…But…state police arrested five former officials on felony theft charges. For many, this was a shocking betrayal of trust. But for us, it was no surprise.”
“[U]nion officials—who speak for me under state law—issued a resolution I, and many of my colleagues, view as anti-Semitic. Now I have a choice: Disrupt my life and damage my career again or rely on the constitutional protections that set America apart from most other countries on earth. I’m done running.”
“I’ve represented union members fighting to defend their rights against some of the largest public-sector unions in the country. Now, I’m seeing a new trend: union officials in historically private unions across the Northeast outright denying that Janus applies to the public employees they represent.”
“[T]he same people who referred to Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state are negotiating the salary and working conditions of Jewish professors at CUNY. Absurd? I thought so, too, and several professors joined me in suing the union, CUNY, and the state of New York to escape the union for good.”
“Backing down from a bully is not in my nature, nor would it have set a good example for my students. […] Teachers, firefighters, police officers and other Pennsylvania public employees now have a definitive judgment that says Pennsylvania’s ‘fair share’ fee law is illegal if unions ever try to enforce these unconstitutional fees.”
“After seeing the image for myself, I was shocked and disheartened—it looked to me like hate speech. […] Robbins’ abusive behavior is no secret, but he remains in his leadership position with the union. That’s why I’ve taken legal action. No one is holding him or the union accountable.”
“For 20 years, I always paid my dues on time. I’d given the union so much money over the years, but the minute I questioned the value they provided, they tried to intimidate me. […] Standing on principle is never easy, especially when doing so could jeopardize something you love.”
“As a grandchild of four Holocaust survivors and a great-grandchild of eight victims of Nazi torture and murder, I can’t describe how appalling it is to be labeled a white supremacist. […] I believe no one should be forced to associate with a group that hates them.”
“Using the estimated dues of the largest federal employee union as an example, the new union members for which the Biden administration is taking credit could represent between $37 million and $46 million in annual dues revenue. And as these employees are ushered through the union door, union officials and government agencies appear determined to slam it behind them.”
Pennsylvania’s ‘Right to Organize’ Amendment
Violates U.S. Constitution
Commentary by Danielle Acker Susanj
“Just two sentences long, HB 950 could have far-reaching consequences on Pennsylvania law. Beyond establishing a constitutional right to organize, it would provide constitutional protections to agreements between government employers and unions that ‘requir[e] membership in an organization as a condition of employment.'”
“Over 30 years of teaching service. Thousands of dollars in dues payments. A union appreciation plaque for being part of a team that negotiated Hartford teachers’ last good contract. None of this swayed union officials whose representation I, by law, must accept. I guess not all Hartford teachers matter to the union.”