Posted on 09/01/2004 12:38:40 PM PDT by truth49
OLYMPIA, WA—The Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF) filed a complaint today with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, notifying the AG of multiple campaign finance violations by the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
EFF, a long-time advocate of free speech and fair elections, alleges the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) has committed numerous violations of state campaign finance laws and is operating as an illegal, unregistered political action committee. The complaint was filed after receiving numerous reports of the WSLC’s undisclosed political activities.
The “Citizen’s Action” complaint gives Attorney General Christine Gregoire 45 days to take action or allow EFF to file a lawsuit against the labor council on behalf of the state.
Among the violations listed, the WSLC failed to disclose thousands of dollars in political expenditures, exceeded campaign contribution limits, used public funds for political expenditures and failed to register and report as a political committee.
EFF’s complaint calls on Attorney General Gregoire to fully investigate and prosecute the WSLC for violating campaign finance laws.
“AFL-CIO President John Sweeney once said that ‘[t]ransparency, accountability, and full and accurate disclosure should be the central goals of financial regulation,’ and we believe the WSLC should live up to that standard,” said Bob Williams, president of EFF.
“EFF is filing this complaint one day before the WSLC Labor Neighbor effort, which is just one example of the WSLC’s political activism,” said Williams. “The WSLC is committing its resources to mobilizing union members, leaders and staffers in a massive door-to-door effort to oppose President Bush and Washington state Republican candidates.”
“Based on this and hundreds of other examples, the WSLC acts as a political organization and should be required to register and report as such,” says Williams.
They're slimy clowns.
So far, three different Federal Employee Union Reps have refused to enter my office. Now, if I could just find a good way to rid my office of the other cockroaches.
ping
Well, I have been in a union, perhaps one of the most traditionally communistic, the ILWU (International Longshoremen & Warehousemen Union) and it wasn't pretty. I am really glad I am no longer in such a culture.
I also caught some of the "Constitution Convention" and was shocked by what I saw. They had one video about the former Secretary of State from Florida and the Florida vote counting problem (dem's trying to steel the election) that was more partisan than Farenheit 9/11. This video ended with a sarcastic "God Bless Bushes American" with the implication that everybody watching was not part of "that America" and would be left out in the cold.
What I have taken to do lately is ask people what is the common thread in many major strikes. Generally it is raising health care/health insurance costs that business is trying to share or shift to their union workers. I then ask what the Labor Unions are doing to reduce health care costs? Are they working toward medical tort reform? Are the unions working to increase the number of doctors and nurses? Are the unions actually standing in the way of reducing health care costs and How can they play both sides of this issue with the rank and file?
Remember, this is a press release from EFF, not a news article. Just like the strike story, it is slanted to EFF's view.
Personally, I think that unions have been cutting their own throats for years, by choosing one party, and being taken for granted. If a union was really doing stuff for it's membership, it would choose candidates based on worker's best interest, not party interests. Many of the "Union" issues, are really splinter group issues. What is the Union's interest in the war in Iraq? The rational answer should be nothing. The AFL CIO condemned the war. That issue has nothing to do with worker's rights. And that is one of the main problems with unions.
DK
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