Secret Ballot Watch

For anyone wondering why special interests are still fighting to enact a proposal as unpopular as card check, it may be time to consider that old adage: “follow the money.”

The Hill reports this morning on a new analysis that shows a stunning financial gain for union leaders if their predictions about card check hold true:  

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“Passing the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would result in millions in additional political funds for organized labor over the next 10 years, a business group opposed to the legislation will argue in a report to be released Tuesday.

“Unions would stand to gain an additional $320 million more to spend on political activities in year ten alone with a ten year total of $1.75 billion, according to a report put together by the anti-EFCA Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI). …

“The report takes a statement from SEIU President Andy Stern estimating that EFCA could mean 1.5 million new members for unions each year, and extrapolates that figure with several variables. It assumes $425 in dues each year for union members with five percent of that devoted to political activity. That would mean a total increase of 15 million new members over 10 years, accruing to an additional $1.75 billion in available political funds over the same period.”

O’Brien, “Report claims EFCA would line labor's pockets,” The Hill, 06.09.09 

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The report is nothing more than simple arithmetic based on union leaders’ own projections. But its eye-popping conclusion shines a spotlight on the potential financial gain for union bosses if workers are forced to relinquish their rights through the controversial card check scheme.

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