The AFL-CIO spent more than $30 million on politics during the past year, using money from workers to support political causes across the country.
The labor union reported “political activities” totaling $28 million for its 2014 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. Another $4.8 million in AFL-CIO payments to political nonprofits was reported to the U.S. Department of Labor as “contributions, gifts and grants” or “representational activities.”
The AFL-CIO’s primary revenue stream is the per-capita tax member unions pay with money taken from workers. Private-sector workers in 26 states and public-sector workers in 23 states can be forced to pay union “agency fees” as a condition of employment.
Although federal law restricts what unions can use mandatory fees for, the AFL-CIO and its affiliates fund many liberal political groups. Agency fee payers can ask to have the “nonchargeable” portion of their fees refunded and may dispute the “chargeable” amount, but both processes are time-consuming and must be repeated annually.
Expenditures AFL-CIO reported as political from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014, include $3,923,950 to AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education PAC, $617,550 to liberal data firm Catalist, and $559,975 to liberal organizing firm NGP VAN.
Progressive activist groups received considerable support from AFL-CIO during the past year: $200,000 to Sixteen Thirty Fund, $198,951 to We Are Wisconsin, $130,000 to American Family Voices and $110,750 to Democracy Alliance, a clearinghouse for contributions to liberal nonprofits.
Economic Policy Institute, a think tank, received $50,000 from AFL-CIO, while Americans United for Change received $45,000, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center received $30,000 and Center for American Progress Action Fund received $25,000.
AFL-CIO gave MSNBC host Al Sharpton’s National Action Network $50,000, gave ProgressNow $30,000, and gave Progressive Congress Action Fund $12,000. AFL-CIO also paid the Center for Media and Democracy, best known for the websites PR Watch and ALEC Exposed, $20,730.