UNIONS FIGHT BACK AGAINST “STOP SPECIAL INTEREST MONEY NOW” INITIATIVE

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By Jeremy Los

 

August 2, 2011 (Sacramento)– California labor unions are waging war against a handful of potential ballot initiatives aimed at restricting the power of local unions. The California Labor Federation has issued a warning to voters to be on the lookout for these “deceptive” petitions that are making the rounds.  

 

Backers of the initiative, in turn, have raised questions over tactics used by labor to dissuade people from signing petitions that unions claim would take away rights from workers.

 

According to the CLF, the petitions circulating are said to be for initiatives combating “special interests” and “payroll deduction.” This, according to the group, is a falsity, as the petitions are aimed towards giving more power to special interests and relinquishing power from the common citizen.

 

The “stop special interest money now act” has faced strong opposition from the Service Employee International Union, as it would restrict the ability of unions to deduct dues directly from members’ paychecks for political purposes. The SEIU has launched a campaign urging members to call a hotline, when they see the petitions, to deploy “think before you ink” teams to persuade people not to sign the petitions.

 

SEIU Spokesman Christopher Calhoun said the campaign was launched in response to concerns that canvassers promoting the initiative were being deceptive in their pitches.

 

"We want to make sure folks get a chance to hear our side of the story," he said in an interview with the Sacramento Bee. The measure would also look to restrict labor and corporate campaign contributions.

 

The initiative would look to drastically affect labor's ability to pool dollars, hence limiting the impact of their voice in the political arena.

 

“Without a progressive voice, our jobs and the services we provide to California are at risk. Our pay, our benefits and retirement security are all vulnerable, while Wall Street and the wealthy continue to spend record amounts of money to support their political agenda,” stated a press release on the SEIU website.

 

The committee Californians Against Special Interests, the group sponsoring the initiative, has received over a million dollars in donations. Hefty contributions have come from the Lincoln Club of Orange County ($50,000) and San Diego ($40,000) and the Citizen Power Campaign ($50,000).

 

Labor unions are fighting back in unusual ways as some, not SEIU, are backing ads and a website for a program called Californians Against Identity Theft, which is warning potential petition signers that if they sign their information could be sent to India.

 

The tactic is finding staunch criticism from initiative backers and government watchdog groups, who are claiming that the ads are being used by the unions to scare citizens from using theirvoice.

 

"It sounds like they're trying to intimidate people from exercising what is a constitutional right" to sign a petition, Derek Cressman, Western regional director for Common Cause, said of the radio spot.

 

Funders of the Californians Against Identity Theft have replied, stating that the ads are intended to inform the public about the lack of regulation of the paid-signature gathering industry.

 


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