Union Dues Still Fund Politics & Union Members Don’t Like It

Last night, I spoke with ABC 27 about polling that shows the vast majority of union household support ending taxpayer collection of union political money.

See the video below:

In response, Rep. Mike Sturla makes the claim that union dues aren't used on politics. As we've explained before, there are two reasons why he is wrong.

First, public resources are used to collect union campaign contributions that are given to candidates for office, through the same payroll deduction process. Government union PACs contributed nearly $4 million to state candidates in 2011-12.

Second, while union dues can't be directly given to candidates, they are used to fund political TV and radio ads, mailers supporting or opposing candidates, lobbying, fundraising for union PACs, and independent expenditures supporting a candidate in an election. We've chronicled a list of union political spending here. Just today, we highlighted a union-funded ad which distorts state education funding.

Union dues also fund other political organizations, such as Keystone Progress (the group claiming Gov. Corbett is murdering people), the Keystone Research Center, and “Pennsylvanians for Accountability,” a group running anti-Republican attack pieces.

Taxpayer resources are used to collect union dues and campaign contributions, union dues are being used for politics, and union members don't like it!