Campaign 2008: Big Labor Is a Player
Updated December 8, 2008
Organized labor rose to become a major player in the 2008 elections in North Carolina, bringing three common phrases to mind: (1) “money is the mother’s milk of politics”; (2) “always follow the money”; and (3) “he who has the gold rules.”
Money is needed in any political campaign to pay for advertising, campaign staff salaries, travel, organizing volunteers, get out the vote efforts, and so forth. What was new in 2008 was the dramatic rise in campaign money from labor unions – particularly those from out-of-state. This increase in activity demonstrates that labor unions plan to pursue an active agenda during the 2009 session of the North Carolina General Assembly.
The major labor players in this year’s election were the National Education Association (NEA), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC), United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCWU), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Communications Workers of America (CWA), UNITE HERE, United Auto Workers (UAW), and the North Carolina Chapter of the AFL-CIO. So how much did Big Labor spend on political races for the 2008 election cycle? As of December 1, collective spending by labor unions exceeded $4.7 million to impact elections in North Carolina. Here's the breakdown:
National Education Association
Ryan Teague Beckwith reported in the Raleigh News & Observer on November 21 that the NEA spent $1,935,703 in this year’s state election campaigns, including independent expenditures, contributions to 527 groups that ran advertisements in North Carolina exclusively (such as the Alliance for North Carolina) and contributions to both candidates and state party committees. The national teachers union gave $300,000 to the state Democratic Party, $250,000 to the Alliance for North Carolina, and $9,500 to the campaign of Governor-elect Beverly Perdue. The NEA spent an additional $1.3 million on behalf of the Perdue campaign for advertising, research and public opinion polling.
Beckwith’s numbers do not include money given by unions to groups such as the Democratic Governors Association, nor does it include money spent in the US Senate race in North Carolina.
Service Employee International Union
According to responses on the handwritten financial disclosure form filed with the State Board of Elections, the SEIU spent a total of $1,819,114 to impact North Carolina elections.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Beckwith reported that the Teamsters union spent $334,117.
North Carolina Association of Educators
Beckwith found $267,230 in NCAE political expenditures.
State Employees Association of North Carolina
SEANC, which was late in reporting, spent $194,800, with $79,000 going to 28 state senate candidates, $89,300 to 53 state house candidates, and $16,000 to four statewide candidates. These contributions went to 76 individual Democrats and nine Republicans.
Senator Floyd McKissick and House candidate Jimmy Garner received the largest contributions from SEANC, $8,000 for each candidate. Five candidates received the next largest contribution. House candidate Betty Mangum, Senators Fletcher Hartsell, Steve Goss, and Ellie Kinnaird each got $5,000 contributions.
Four candidates for statewide office received a $4,000 contribution (Beverly Perdue, Walter Dalton, Ronnie Ansley, and Mary Fant Donnan). All are Democrats.
Of all the candidates supported with SEANC money, 55 were incumbents, 19 were challenging incumbents, and 11 were candidates running for open seats.
Other recipients of SEANC money were the state House Republican Committee ($4,000), the Senate Democratic Committee ($1,000), the House Democratic Committee $500), and the Alliance for North Carolina ($5,000).
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Beckwith reported the UFCW spent $116,500 in the state. A large part of this spending went to the North Carolina Democratic Party ($104,000). Other large recipients of UFCW cash were Treasurer-elect Janet Cowell ($8,000) and governor-elect Beverly Perdue ($4,000).
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
The electricians’ union spent a total of $41,500 on state campaigns, with $30,000 targeted for the state Democratic Party, $5,000 to the state AFL-CIO Victory Fund, $4,000 to Beverly Perdue, and $2,500 to Janet Cowell.
Communications Workers of America
Beckwith reports CWA spending at $18,750, with $12,500 going to the state Democratic Party, $3,500 to Beverly Perdue, and $2,000 to Hampton Dellinger, an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in the Democratic primary.
UNITE HERE
This union spent $16,500 in the state in 2008, according to Beckwith, including large contributions to Beverly Perdue, Janet Cowell, Hampton Dellinger, and Richard Moore, the current state treasurer and an unsuccessful candidate for governor in the Democratic primary.
United Auto Workers
The UAW are spending most of their money at the federal level, but they still threw $9,000 into North Carolina races, with Beverly Perdue receiving $4,000 from this pot. Walter Dalton, Mary Fant Donnan, and state Representative Lorene Coates each received $1,000.
North Carolina Chapter of the AFL-CIO
The state AFL-CIO spent $4,000 in North Carolina in 2008, all of it going to Beverly Perdue.
Conclusion
In the area of political contributions, it is clear that organized labor has become a major player in the political landscape in North Carolina. State employees (SEANC) and teachers (NCAE) have already indicated their desire to pursue legislation which would allow them to collectively bargain as formal labor unions. Since money influences elections and elections influence public policy, look for labor to play a larger role in General Assembly and in state government in the years to come.
As Big Labor’s role in the political process grows larger, it is imperative that campaign finance disclosure be as transparent as possible. In some ways, disclosure reporting (and access to those reports) has gotten better, but there is much room for improvement in North Carolina’s campaign finance disclosure laws.
For one perspective on how North Carolina ranks with other states on the disclosure issue, click here.
