School Information System: K-12 Tax & Spending Climate: Largest unions pay leaders well, give extensively to Democrats

March 5, 2011

K-12 Tax & Spending Climate: Largest unions pay leaders well, give extensively to Democrats

John C. Henry, Center for Public Integrity:

On the surface, the fight between the governor of Wisconsin and organized labor is about balancing state budgets and collective-bargaining rights. Behind the scenes, hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to top labor leaders as well as campaign contributions to Democrats could be in jeopardy.

Union treasuries - filled by dues paid by union members - not only fund programs benefiting union members and their families. The money they collect also pays six-figure compensation packages for labor leaders and provides millions of dollars for Democratic causes and candidates.

The Center for Public Integrity found compensation for leaders of the 10 largest unions ranged from $173,000 at the United Auto Workers to $618,000 at the Laborers' International Union of North America, and almost $480,000 for the president of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees. The latter is the target of GOP governors in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Kansas.

The union reports, filed with the Department of Labor, list compensation for all union employees and officers. Salaries make up the biggest portion, but other benefits can include tens of thousands of dollars for meal allowances, mileage allowances and entertainment. Health care and pension contributions are not specifically addressed.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at March 5, 2011 1:48 AM
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Comments

what's the comparison? at comparable large organizations?

Don't major corporations give money to those campaigns where they expect support of their causes? Isn't there a new lobbyist office for Koch industries that I believed opened in Madison, WI after the current Governor was sworn in? Didn't this org directly and through a PAC provide major funding to Gov Walker?

Isn't there a problem with the funding policies?

Posted by: barb s at March 5, 2011 4:16 AM

From what I read Koch did not provide major funding to the governor, tho it did provide funding.

Private groups are free to give money to whom they chose as they are accountable to their board and stockholders. Public groups which derive their income from the public, are accountable to the public. Why should public groups support one political group to benefit themselves personally. They need to be held accountable to the general public. I kind of thought that's what the governor was doing...

Posted by: mickle at March 7, 2011 4:26 PM

David Koch is a wealthy out of state patron of conservative causes. In the 2010 election, he gave $43,000 directly to Walker's campaign, and one million dollars to the Republican Governors Association which spent 3.4 million on television ads in WI, nearly 1/3, in other words, as well as $65,000 directly to Walker.

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=810365&ct=9135505

Posted by: Joan Knoebel at March 7, 2011 5:31 PM

Since when are unions "public groups which derive their income from the public"? Unions derive their income from private citizens who are members of the union. It's irrelevant in this case that these private citizens are employed by public bodies. Once the public bodies pay private citizens their salary, those monies are now private. That's like saying that the "private groups" spend monies that are "public" because the Federal Reserve prints the money in the first place:)

Posted by: david cohen at March 7, 2011 7:33 PM