Just where is the big money in political campaigns coming from?
These links shed some light on unions and their influence on political campaigns.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/372630/fourteen-americas-25-biggest-campaign-donors-are-unions-veronique-de-rugy
According to this article, fourteen labor unions were among the top 25 political campaign contributors.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304782404577488584031850026
According to this article, political spending by unions exceeds direct donations.
More facts.
https://www.unionfacts.com/article/political-money/
Come on John, don't start bashing unions. Please don't forget it was unions that brought us 8 hours for work, 8 hours for rest and 8 hours for what you will! We all enjoy our week-ends! Unionfacts.com is a well known ANTI-UNION non-profit whose #1 goal is to bad mouth and destroy labor unions. They do a pretty good job at it, along with conservative talk radio. Unions are only as good as their membership and as in any organization, it is usually less than 10% that actively participate in their business activities. If the members don't like where their PAC money is going, then they need to go to the meetings and speak up. They have a voice. The private sector unions that I am familiar with have PAC committees that are only concerned with candidates that support jobs, wages, benefits and working conditions. Unions will usually not donate campaign contributions to candidates that run on a platform of eliminating prevailing wages, gutting worker safety oversight, and implementing "right to work" (for less) legislation, and privatizing Social Security. I would be happy to debate all these issues, but it would take way too much time in this forum. It is much more productive to find issues we can ALL agree on, such as creating good paying family wage jobs, with health and retirement benefits, solving our out of control drug and crime problems and creating the tax base that will continue to support the quality of life that everyone wants.
ReplyDeleteUntil then, find out more on political donations at https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topindivs.php
And please remember, union campaign contributions are no more than a bunch of very small individual donations from workers that don't matter, that have been pooled into a much larger donation that DOES matter.
Sid, as an union man, your perspective is biased. Unions are less about workers right these days and more about politics.
DeleteUnions had a place, I don't believe they are necessary anymore.
There is a difference between bashing and facts. I could point out sites that are anti one view or another.
The email in the post below is not a figment of anyone's imagination. Waving signs and threatening strikes and using media to distort facts has been done by local union leaders such as those who protested at Rex's campaign announcement.
That has to do with greed and nothing to do with any rights.
With the middle-class disappearing while a billionaire class is developing
Deleteit seems a cheap shot to strike at unions.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/27/1301209/-The-tight-link-between-unions-the-middle-class-and-inequality-in-two-charts
Daniel and why is the middle class disappearing? County employees got a two percent raise across the board two years ago. They got a one time "bonus" of $700 about a year ago. Now they want more raises. There is a difference between someone making $150,000 and someone making $30,000 a year. If unions are for working class, they could ask for raises for people making less than $30,000 and not ask for raises for those making $100, 000 or more. Two percent adds up.
DeleteWelcome to 2015 John.
DeleteCounty employees are our last vestige of a middle-class.
You'd be far more forward thinking, to insure that others had the same pay and benefits,
than beat-up those that are actually making a living wage.
A worker at MacDonalds in Denmark will make $20.00 bucks an hour, tell us John what a MacDonalds worker makes in Eureka. Then ask yourself why?
We need a labor backbone or we will soon look like India, is that what you want for your children?
Daniel, I don't have children but what I do want for all children in the future is not to be on welfare. Middle class is not someone making over a $100,000 wanting a pay raise. Not all County employees make that much. Those that make less, say $30,000 deserve a raise. Unions are not gouging taxpayers for minimum wage, fast food jobs. They are threatening strikes, locally for people who make decent money in Humboldt. This is not Denmark, this is Humboldt.
DeleteThese folks making 100K plus a year, deserve no raises. Agreed.
DeleteHow are we (the working class) supposed to conteract the big money that flows in from the likes of the Koch bros, furthering their political agenda (which is lower wages, less benefits, no safety, etc) if it wasn't for the contributions of the unions. Do you have millions of dollars to contribute? And yes the unions are much needed today given the trend for decreasing wages and benefits.
ReplyDelete