The report “Union leaders defend historic and controversial Pa. state employee contracts” (Aug. 28, TribLIVE) provided the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) review of the recent AFSCME contracts. Gov. Josh Shapiro conducted secret contract negotiations with union leaders, exchanging $5.5 million in union campaign contributions for a 20.1% salary increase. This will cost Pennsylvania taxpayers nearly $3.2 billion.

It was fiscally irresponsible to negotiate contracts before the state budget was completed. These contracts are overly excessive and question if the IFO factored in the salary increases that will also boost the cost of future pension payouts when they retire. This will add to the growing unfunded pension liability.

The immorality of quid pro quo: campaign contributions in exchange for pay increases that financed this politician into elected office at our expense!

Rep. Steve Malagari, D-Lansdale, must be reading from the same playbook as Shapiro. In exchange for over $33,000 in campaign contributions from the teachers union, Malagari has sponsored HB 1415 and 1416 that would provide pension increases for retired teachers who are not honoring the contracts they ratified during their tenure. This, too, will increase the unfunded pension liability and raise school property taxes.

A conflict of interest is defined as when “a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity.” Our elected leaders are bankrupting Pennsylvania’s future, which illustrates the need for true campaign finance reform.

It’s time to contact your elected officials and put a stop to this insanity.

Gary J. English

Murrysville

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