Pennsylvania Union PAC Spending Topped $23 Million in 2010

“Money in politics” is a popular topic of discussion; case in point: a study that executives and employees of natural gas companies gave over $2 million to Pennsylvania candidates in 2009-10.

Calling a gubernatorial budget proposal of shared sacrifice “cowardly,” state representative and Montgomery County commissioner candidate Josh Shapiro lamented the lack of voice for “those without means and of those without major donations to give his gubernatorial coffers.” 

Surely he cannot be referring to unions like the PSEA, whose PAC spent in excess of $2 million last cycle.

Below is a list of the contributions from the top political action committees of unions.  The top honor goes to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Worker’s Philadelphia PAC who put up over $3.29 million.  The Pittsburgh IBEW also made the list, as did the PSEA, AFSCME, SEIU, and Teamsters. 

The total spending of just these 24 union PACs was over $23 million in the 2009-10 campaign cycle.  To compare to other contributors, unions made up 22 of 50 of the highest spending PACs in the 2007-2008 cycle.