Conservative Group Sues PFT Over “Ghost Employees” on Philly Schools’ Payroll

The School District says it is reimbursed 100 percent for union workers' pay and benefits.

School District of Philadelphia

A new conservative nonprofit sued the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) and school district in Common Pleas Court Wednesday over the district’s policy of keeping full-time union employees on the payroll. (Read the full suit below.)

The Fairness Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Americans for Fair Treatment, issued a scathing statement about the practice:

What’s a ghost teacher? What else would you call a certified School District of Philadelphia teacher earning a publicly-funded salary, enjoying cost-free health benefits, accruing a state pension, and building up years of seniority without having taught a class in over a decade? It’s true: More than 20 of these ghost teachers are working full-time as union bosses for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers right now—even as city schools face staffing shortages and budget strain.

Appalling stuff, right? Turns out it might be more than a little misleading.

School District spokesman Fernando Gallard says the PFT reimburses it 100 percent for the cost of the union workers’ salaries, health care and pensions.

The Fairness Center says the state is not reimbursed, however, for the cost of the union employees’ pensions. The group says the state has paid $1 million since 1999 for those benefits, but PFT president Jerry Jordan says that is wholly untrue. A spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At a press conference, the Fairness Center acknowledged that the PFT reimburses some portion of the the union workers’ costs. Nonetheless, the Fairness Center says the PFT’s contract does not explicitly state that the union is required to pay back the district, and that it should.

“At any point, the union could unilaterally withdraw their offer to reimburse and there’s nothing the district could do,” says Nate Bohlander, assistant general counsel at the Fairness Center.

Bohlander called the district’s practice of keeping union employees on its payroll “abusive,” “immoral” and “illegal.”

Jordan says the PFT has been reimbursing the state for the costs of the union workers since 1965, and “it’s really insulting to think the PFT would walk away from that obligation.” But, he says, “If we need to put it in the contract, that’s fine.

“I think that it’s a frivolous lawsuit,” says Jordan, “and it’s just very interesting that this lawsuit comes at the time that there are groups such as the Commonwealth Foundation lobbying in Harrisburg to … have legislation passed that eliminates the right for union employees to have an automatic deduction from their paycheck for union dues.”

The Fairness Center says the district’s policy violates the state constitution because public funds are going to private employees. The group also takes issue with the fact that the employees accrue seniority while working for the PFT.

The Fairness Center, according to its 990-EZ form filed with the IRS, is based in Oklahoma. It is about a year old. Officials say its goal is to represent those who have been harmed by public unions. Matthew Brouilette, president and CEO of the conservative Commonwealth Foundation, chairs the organization’s board.

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