Labor Unions’ Donations
Senator Russ Feingold is “. . . listening to Wisconsin. . . ” while he willingly accepts campaign donations from Big Labor and other out of state sources. M.D. Kittle has the story in WisconsinWatchdog.org.
Photo by commondreams.org I LOVE BIG LABOR MONEY THIS MUCH: Russ Feingold’s Senate campaign has pulled in tens of thousands of dollars in union cash this election cycle in the liberal’s bid to return to the U.S. Senate. In the first quarter alone, public-sector union political action committees contributed $20,000 to Feingold’s campaign, according to federal campaign finance records.
Big labor in particular has spent big money on the Middleton liberal in his bid to take back the seat he lost to conservative Sen. Ron Johnson in 2010.
Public sector unions contributed at least $42,800 to Feingold’s campaign, Russ for Wisconsin, in 2015, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Feingold was second only to ultra-liberal Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who took in $50,200 over the period.
In June 2015, the American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees dropped $5,000 into Feingold’s campaign war chest. Three months later, AFSCME pumped in another $5,000, according to the Federal Election Commission.
As Watchdog.org’s Jason Hart reported, “While private-sector union spending can harm workers, employers and hit customers with higher costs, taxpayers throughout the country are stuck with the tab for spending by AFSCME and other public-sector labor unions.â€
AFSCME deducts dues from members’ taxpayer-funded paychecks. In 21 states and Washington, D.C., AFSCME and its affiliates can take hundreds of dollars per year in mandatory “agency fees†from nonmembers.
In March, the American Federation of Government Employees wrote Feingold’s campaign a $5,000 check, according to federal campaign finance reports. That’s what union dues can buy.
In December, the American Federation of Teachers contributed $5,000 to Feingold’s campaign, according to federal reports.
In 2015, individuals associated with the National Education Association contributed $22,050 to Feingold’s campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Over Feingold’s 20-plus years campaigning for Senate, public-sector unions have funded the Democrat’s campaign to the tune of $370,000, the Center for Responsive Politics database shows.
The latest federal campaign finance reports, for January through March, show Feingold took in 68 percent of his campaign contributions from people who live outside the Badger State. That’s contrary to the pledge that Feingold, the guy whose name is on campaign finance reform, made in past Senate campaigns.