Unions Raise More Than $80 Million To Defeat Schwarzenegger’s Initiatives
Thursday, October 13th, 2005
Prop. 75 in the crosshairs.
L.A. Times reports: “Led by public employee unions, organized labor has raised more than $80 million in its effort to defeat the initiatives promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, campaign finance reports show.”
With a month left before the Nov. 8 special election, unions, particularly those representing state and local civil servants, could shatter California spending records for ballot measure battles.
. . .Much of the unions’ fervor this year is generated by their desire to trounce Proposition 75, an initiative that would restrict public employee unions’ ability to raise campaign money by requiring that they obtain each member’s approval each year to use his or her dues for political efforts.
It’s only a matter of fairness. But the unions realize the consequences: A loss of power and political control.
According to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s website:
Proposition 75, also known as “Paycheck Protection,†gives workers like police officers, firefighters and teachers the right to choose whether or not union dues money from their paychecks should be used for political purposes. It simply requires public labor unions to get consent from employees before deducting money from their paychecks for political purposes.
Union bosses currently spend hundreds of millions of dollars, taken without permission from workers’ paychecks, on political activities that their members may not even agree with. If you are a Democrat, you should not be forced to pay for campaigns, which support Republicans, and vice-versa. Proposition 75 simply gives workers a choice as to whether or not they want their money used for politics by their union.
No surprise the big money being raised to defeat it.
According to SoCalLawBlog, “KABC News in Los Angeles reported this morning that John Kerry plans to campaign in California against Proposition 75.”
After all, if Kerry is going to run again in ‘08, somebody has got to pay for it.
Maybe he’ll bring Ted Kennedy, too.
UPDATE:
Chronicle Election Blog reports:
“[According to] an affidavit filed in federal court in San Jose last week by Carlos Moreno, controller for the California Teachers Association…the union has spent more than $50 million fighting Proposition 75 and other initiatives backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and needs a three-year, $60 a month dues increase to “maintain fiscal solvency.” Morales also said that the union is looking for a new $40 million line of credit because without it “millions of CTA’s members dues dollars are possibly at stake.”
Doesn’t that prove the point?
If the teachers’ union hadn’t foolishly spent $50M fighting Prop. 75, than they wouldn’t require a new $40M line of credit. And they wouldn’t be levying another $60/mo increase in dues, in order to continue playing politics.
RELATED:
Public Labor Unions Seek to Starve
Prop. 75 of Financial Support
California’s Prop. 75: Examining The Facts
And Why The Unions Oppose It
Can California Teachers Spell “Hypocrite?”
Millions Spent  and a “Big Lie†Told
California Teachers Association: Union Dues
Paying For Partisan Politics
“The Running Man†Starring Arnold
Schwarzenegger: Now Playing
California Republican Party: Fall 2005 Convention