Aug 24 2012
Unions Unite Against Proposition 32
One of the 13 propositions on the ballot this November is Prop. 32, also called the Stop Special Interest Money Now Act. If passed, this measure will effectively undermine the ability of labor unions to participate in politics and will prohibit union fundraising by disallowing the use of payroll deductions for political purposes, even though unions already give members the choice to opt out of political contributions. Proposition 32 exempts common business structures such as LLCs, real estate trusts, and partnerships, so it will have little effect on corporations and will continue to allow them to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections campaigns and Super PACs.
Proposition 32 is supported by The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, among others. Major individual financial contributors to the campaign include the former CEO of Univision, A. Jerrold Perenchio, who has donated $16.9 million and physicist Charles Munger Jr. who has donated $14.1 million – both men have made these contributions mostly to the Republican party.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was recently misquoted in a “Yes on Proposition 32” campaign that implied he was a supporter. Villaraigosa has since spoken out against the proposition saying that the campaign is based on “deception and blatant disregard for the facts.” The mayor is adamantly opposed to the measure and wrote, “Prop. 32 purports to be about ‘stopping special interests.’ In fact, Prop. 32 strengthens the political power of corporate special interests and Super PACs while silencing the political voice of California’s everyday heroes –such as teachers, firefighters and nurses.”
GUEST: Brian Leubitz, political consultant and blogger at Calitics.com, currently works with the No on 32 campaign
Visit www.votenoon32.org for more information about the No on 32 campaign.
Visit www.stopspecialinterestmoney.org for more information about the Yes on 32 campaign.
One Response to “Unions Unite Against Proposition 32”
1) If you go to the Secretary of State’s page the definition of Corporation is clear. It does not cover LLC, Partnerships, Insurance Co., Super PACs, individual billionaires, and multi-millionaire CEOs to name a few. Corporations don’t use payroll deductions for political purpose. That’s like saying, “we’re going to crack down on counterfeiting by collecting all the 3 dollar bills printed.” Sounds good however, counterfeiters don’t print 3 dollar bills.
2) It doesn’t stop any corporation from using unlimited profits to contribute to state or local campaigns. And the Supreme Court already confirmed that Corporations have the same rights as individuals and therefore, can contribute unlimited funds to any campaign. Corporations already outspend unions 15-1.
3) Labor rights aren’t etched in stone. They were won through politics and collective bargaining. So if you’re the 99% that have to work for a living say, “good bye” to, vacation leave, health insurance, 8 hour work day, minimum wage, work place health and safety laws, overtime pay, unemployment, child labor laws, meal breaks, nurse patient ratios just to name a few.