Public Sector Unions Force Members to Pay Dues, Use Taxpayer Funds for Political Purposes

[From article]
America’s four largest labor unions spent more than $179 million last year promoting big government, and did so using taxpayer money.
Public-sector unions were crucial to the passage of Obamacare, and in 2014 they helped push progressive priorities including minimum-wage hikes and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
It’s widely known the National Education Association, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are among the country’s top campaign donors.
Not content to fund politicians who will advance their agenda, NEA, SEIU, AFT and AFSCME also bankroll dozens of think tanks and activist groups fighting for bigger government in the name of “social justice.”
[. . .]
F. Vincent Vernuccio, labor policy director at the free-market Mackinac Center for Public Policy, [. . ] said public-sector union funding of politicians and advocacy groups yields more taxpayer money for public-sector unions to spend on politicians and advocacy groups.
“This cycle goes on and on, and everyone is happy … everyone except for the taxpayer, who at the end of the day is stuck footing the bill,” he said.
Public-sector unions’ political spending is a disservice to the 40 percent of union members who vote Republican, Vernuccio said.
[. . .]
Combined, the four unions take dues from the paychecks of roughly 7 million teachers and government workers. Through payroll dues deduction, public agencies redirect public funds to NEA, SEIU, AFT and AFSCME at taxpayer expense.
In 21 states, teachers and other public employees who decline union membership can be forced to pay union “agency fees” in order to have a job.
Based on the unions’ annual reports to the U.S. Department of Labor, last year AFSCME spent $65 million on campaign contributions, lobbying and political advocacy ,while SEIU spent $52 million, NEA spent $35 million and AFT spent $27 million.

http://watchdog.org/210506/taxpayer-big-labor/

Taxpayer money fuels big labor’s political machine
By Jason Hart

April 8, 2015 /