CA: Unions say political coffers are depleted

Sac Bee ^ | 2/27/05 | Aurelio Rojas

[NormsRevenge]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's aggressive campaign against unions - including a threatened ballot fight - comes as labor leaders in the state are scrambling to replenish their political coffers. Miguel Contreras, secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said unions in California are broke after last year's presidential race.

"We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left," Contreras said, noting that millions of dollars were diverted from California to battleground states in an effort to elect Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as president.

Art Pulaski, executive secretary of the California Labor Federation, plans to appeal for financial aid this week at a meeting of the AFL-CIO's Executive Council in Las Vegas. State labor leaders say that what happens here has national implications because if Schwarzenegger gets his way, his changes - including overhauling California's public employee pension system - will spread to other states.

"How much money I can raise from Washington, I don't know," Pulaski said. "There's a lot of other states, so I think the majority of money will have to be raised from workers in California."

Marty Wilson, a fund-raiser for the Republican governor, said labor's poor-mouthing is "silly" and "not credible."

"Historically, labor has never had trouble raising money," Wilson said. "We're certainly seeing evidence of that this year with the teachers union running ads attacking the governor, with the nurses union running ads and doing other things to attack the governor."

[FairOpinion]

Cry me a river... those poor unions... boo hoo...

[teenyelliott]

We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left

Good, now go away and let private business run the show. We have no use for unions anymore.

[Drango]

OK, OK...no smirking....hold it. hold it. no laughing. Maintain composure. no snickering.

BWAAAAA HaHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHAHaHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHA (deep breath) HaHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHAHaHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHA HaHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHAHaHAHAhAHAHAHAHAHA

[Richard Kimball]

Gosh, I wonder if having the Gray Davis faucet of back room payoffs cut off had anything to do with this?

[orangelobster]

"unions in California are broke after last year's presidential race. "

The union officials sold out the rank and file by diverting their dues to their own personal political agendas. The unions have become just a subsidiary of the democratic party. I think unions can do excellent things for workers if they are run properly. The problem is that they continually are hijacked by leftie political agendas. The unions need to reform themselves or have the rank and file dismantle them.

[farmfriend]

unions in California are broke after last year's presidential race.

Awww! How will they survive?

[Griptilian]

"State labor leaders say that what happens here has national implications because if Schwarzenegger gets his way, his changes - including overhauling California's public employee pension system - will spread to other states."

That would be terrible (for union PACs).
Few years ago there was an Ohio union pension fund 'allegedly' raided by the union to fund campaigns, DNC, etc.

Never did hear the result but they (pension operators) were in trouble with the IRS for quite a while.

[squirt-gun]

"We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left," Contreras said, noting that millions of dollars were diverted from California to battleground states in an effort to elect Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as president.

They will have to steal more dues from those who work and may have wanted W anyway.

[kittymyrib]

Go, Ahnold, kick these losers while they are down.

[alloysteel]

Good news if true. Historically, the unions have raided the pension funds of their members when they wanted to raise cash fast, assuming that they could get the money back in the funds before they were called to account. Now, because of threats that RICO legislation could and would be used against them if they tried a similar tango with cash today, they are forced to rely on direct appeals to members, and the resulting desultory response has proved disappointing in a number of instances.

Since they have wasted their resources in a number of useless and futile fights in the past, for objectives that were completely against good public policy, and more importantly, issues that they had no business whatsoever involving themselves in, I do not feel one bit sorry for their present dilemma.

[E.G.C.]

BTT!!!!!!

[SmithL]

Just when I thought I'd gotten over my gloating, you wave this in front of me. Have you no shame?

[Saundra Duffy]

The CSEA (California State Employees Assn) lost almost a million dollars because one of their employees gambled it away. Remember that fiasco? These unions deserve whatever they get.

[Condor51]

"We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left," Contreras (secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor) said ~snip~ "How much money I can raise from Washington, I don't know" (Art Pulaski, executive secretary of the California Labor Federation) said.

Huh?!? Money from "Washington"? WTF is THAT about?
The CA maggots go broke spending on Kerry and now they want "Washington money", as in from every US taxpayer. They're frigging nuts.

[Tacis]

Well, make all the usual "the sky is falling" noises then double the union dues. Hey, the dems need the money!!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

"We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left,"

I *snicker* am *chuckle* so *snerk* sorry *chortle* to *guffaw* hear *giggle* that!

* Falls on floor...*

Bawhahahahahahahahaha!

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of crooks and thugs.

[taxesareforever]

"We emptied out our bank accounts and have very little left," Contreras said,

Now that's a sound I love to hear.

[Recon by Fire]

IMHO unions are nothing more than unorganized thugs, you should see the union weanies crying a river at the entrance to Fort Knox.

The Gubmint is coming out with a new personnel system, which pretty much puts the union out of a job and the union is crying like it is their JOB.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Such troubling news! NOT!