And Unions are for the Working Man!
Organized labor spends about four times as much on politics and lobbying as generally thought, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis, a finding that shines a light on an aspect of labor’s political activity that has often been overlooked.
Previous estimates have focused on labor unions’ filings with federal election officials, which chronicle contributions made directly to federal candidates and union spending in support of candidates for Congress and the White House.
But unions spend far more money on a wider range of political activities, including supporting state and local candidates and deploying what has long been seen as the unions’ most potent political weapon: persuading members to vote as unions want them to.
And where do these contributions come from? Not from willing donors, but from people paying union dues thinking it will help with their negotiation.
I’m sure they’re happy about that, especially when the people elected ship their jobs overseas. There was a time when Unions were good for workers. Now its a fairly competitive market for workers with lots of safety and recourse for grievances…but the Unions generally push for less work and more pay…which doesn’t come from no where, and often means the employer doesn’t compete in a flat market and the jobs are lost.
And meanwhile that “More money” is being skimmed by the union bosses so they can feather their nests. Classy!
