Union coalition AFL-CIO spends $30 million-plus on politics

Labor union coalition AFL-CIO spent more than $30 million on politics during the past year, shoveling money taken from workers to big-government groups across the country.

AFL-CIO 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 were reported to the U.S. Department of Labor as “Contributions, Gifts and Grants” or “Representational Activities.”

Although federal law restricts what unions can use mandatory fees for, AFL-CIO and its affiliates fund leftist political groups under the guise of representation. 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 political action committee, $617,550 to left-wing data firm Catalist, and $559,975 to left-wing organizing firm NGP VAN.

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