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ResearchUnion Payments to Fund

Moral Monday

Background:

The following information is not found in any campaign finance reports. It's from little known public disclosure data that must be reported by each union to the U.S. Department of Labor each year, required since 2005. This data is searchable here: http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

More information about the data that is reported by the unions to the DoL can be found here: http://www.dol.gov/olms/regs/compliance/rrlo/lmrda.htm

The Wall Street Journal had a story from 2012 on these Department of Labor reports uncovering deeper amounts of political spending by unions, especially in the states, that are not reported on campaign finance reports.

Political Spending by Unions Far Exceeds Direct DonationsBy TOM MCGINTY and BRODY MULLINSThe Wall Street Journalhttp://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304782404577488584031850026

Organized labor spends about four times as much on politics and lobbying as generally thought, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis, a finding that shines a light on an aspect of labor's political activity that has often been overlooked.

Previous estimates have focused on labor unions' filings with federal election officials, which chronicle contributions made directly to federal candidates and union spending in support of candidates for Congress and the White House.

But unions spend far more money on a wider range of political activities, including supporting state and local candidates and deploying what has long been seen as the unions' most potent political weapon: persuading members to vote as unions want them to.

The new figures come from a little-known set of annual reports to the Labor Department in which local unions, their national parents and labor federations have been required to detail their spending on politics and lobbying since 2005.

This kind of spending, which is on the rise, has enabled the largest unions to maintain and in some cases increase their clout in Washington and state capitals, even though unionized workers make up a declining share of the workforce. The result is that labor could be a stronger counterweight than commonly realized to "super PACs" that today raise millions from wealthy donors, in many cases to support Republican candidates and causes.

Read more... http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304782404577488584031850026

In 2014, William Barber directly pocketed at least $20,000 from the big, out-of-state unions, including the teachers union, while he led protests of GOP-led policies.

�Source: US Department of Labor, http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

In 2014, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) funneled $1.5 million to a shell group in North Carolina called “Carolina Workers Organizing Committee”

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�Source: US Department of Labor, http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

That group paid $1.12 million of the SEIU money to Moral Monday backer “Action NC,” a group registered in Charlotte

�Source: US Department of Labor, http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

Deep in the Labor Department’s report for Carolina Workers Organizing Committee, ‘Action NC’ used the money for “Payroll Services,” totaling tens of thousands of dollars each month.

�Source: US Department of Labor, http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

Similar payments were made in 2013 to ‘Action NC’

�Source: US Department of Labor, http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

In Action NC’s publicly available 990 form (from 2013, the most recent year available), they report salaries for key employees as $19,615 and “other salaries and wages” in amounts of $260,741.

�Source: NC Secretary of State’s Office

Note: Action NC’s 990 for 2014 is due on July 15, 2015.

Nowhere on Action NC’s website does it say it does services for the unions, but Action NC is one of the lead groups behind Moral Mondays

• “Democracy NC, Action NC, the state NAACP, Greenpeace and the N.C. Association of Educators are backers of the Moral Monday protests.” (Erik Spanberg, “Charlotte ready for its first Moral Monday,” Charlotte Business Journal, 8/19/2013)

Action NC’s 990 form says they work with “other groups” to advance the same issues in the Moral Monday Agenda

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According to its most recent 990 form, Action NC’s affiliate “Action Institute NC” has received funding from the “Blueprint NC” group

�Source: NC Secretary of State’s Office

Blueprint NC’s 2013 memo outlined a plan to “cripple” and “eviscerate” Pat McCrory and Republican leaders • "’The most effective way to mitigate the worst legislation is to weaken our opponents' ability

to govern by crippling their leaders (McCrory, Tillis, Berger, etc...)’ the memo reads, referring to the governor, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger. The memo goes on to describe a ‘potential two-year vision’ during which the groups would ‘eviscerate the leadership and weaken their ability to govern.’” (“Liberal groups lay out blueprint for attack on state leaders,” WRAL, 2/21/2013)

Other SEIU payments to support Moral Mondays includes funds for T-shirts, video production and office supplies

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�Source: US Department of Labor, http://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getPayerPayeeQry.do

SEIU-funded Fusion Films Has Produced Documentaries About Moral Mondays And Films And Distributes Footage of Moral Monday Events

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Source: YouTube, “State of Conflict,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4ROtC_pcjA

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Source: Fusion Film Livestream Accounthttps://livestream.com/accounts/5188266

Moral Monday Advocates for Union Causes and ‘Union Rights’

• According to Moral Monday organizers, their demands include collective bargaining. (Source)

• North Carolina chapters of affiliated union groups frequently take part in Moral Monday events, and their activists push for “union rights.” (Source)

The SEIU is one of the largest political spenders in the country, according to Open Secrets (Source: https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000077)

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North Carolina is the least unionized state in the country

Report: N.C. is weakest state for labor unionsBy Rebecca TroyerTriangle Business Journalhttp://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/morning_call/2015/06/report-n-c-is-weakest-state-for-labor-unions.html

Once again, North Carolina has the lowest percentage of unionized workers of any state in the U.S.

Just 1.9 percent or 76,293 of the state's 3.6 million workers are represented by labor unions, according to 2014 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published by Unionstats.com and reported by 24/7 Wall St.

The second-least unionized state is South Carolina, followed by Utah, Mississippi and Georgia.

The most unionized state is New York, followed by Alaska, Hawaii, Washington and New Jersey.