Unions and the 2006
Colorado Election
$4 Million in One-Sided Political Contributions
Unions gave more than $4 million in reported contributions to Colorado's 2006 elections. Their reported contributions to candidates and other political groups overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party over all others (more than 120 to 1!). Funds used for political contributions come from member dues and, in some cases, non-member agency fees.
Complete Union Spending Breakdown
Unions' National Political Spending
Publications on Union Issues
Which Unions?
The breakdown of spending on the 2006 Colorado
election among different unions is as follows:
| COLORADO ELECTION 2006: REPORTED UNION CONTRIBUTIONS | |||||
|
Union (includes local affiliates) - Click on a union name to visit its website |
ABBR | Contributions to Democrats (incl. 527 groups) | % DEM | Contributions to Republicans (incl. 527 groups) | % REP |
| National Education Association | NEA | $1,159,493 | 98.2% | $20,700 | 1.8% |
| Service Employees International Union | SEIU | $946,334 | 100.0% | $250 | 0.0% |
| American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees | AFSCME | $564,243 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations | AFL-CIO | $485,835 | 99.2% | $1,500 | 0.8% |
| International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | IBEW | $221,250 | 98.2% | $4,000 | 1.8% |
| Colorado Professional Fire Fighters | CPFF | $217,740 | 98.6% | $3,000 | 1.4% |
| United Food and Commercial Workers | UFCW | $184,730 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| International Brotherhood of Teamsters | IBT | $92,200 | 97.6% | $2,300 | 2.4% |
| Sheet Metal Workers International Association | SMWIA | $65,000 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| American Federation of Teachers | AFT | $63,850 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters | UA | $57,600 | 99.5% | $300 | 0.5% |
| Laborers International Union of North America | LIUNA | $22,770 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| United Transportation Union | UTU | $9,205 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| Communication Workers of America | CWA | $850 | 100.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
| TOTAL | $4,091,100 | 99.2% | $32,050 | 0.8% | |
Sources:
Colorado Secretary of State
Campaign Finance Reports
Internal Revenue Service Political Organization
Disclosure Reports, Form 8872
Learn more about how Colorado teachers unions financed the 2006 election at the Independent Minded Teacher website.
Unions' National Political
Spending
To learn more about how specific unions report spending their money
nationally, visit the
Center for Union Facts online searchable database. Most of the information
comes from
the U.S. Department of Labor's disclosure forms.
Publications on Union Issues
The following Independence Institute publications on labor
union issues provide further information:
Should Colorado School Districts Stop Collecting Political Funds?: Many Colorado public schools collect political funds for teachers' unions through payroll deduction.
Take Public Funds off the Negotiating Table: Let Unions Finance Their Own Business: Many Colorado school districts negotiate taxpayer-subsidized release time benefits for teachers unions.
It is Time to Respect Non-Union Teachers: Colorado Springs School District 11 negotiated a policy to annually burden individual teachers who don’t want to be union members.
Public Service Message Irritates Teachers’ Union: The Independence Institute received angry responses after showing teachers how to get refunds of union political money.
Send CEA Back to School: By protesting Wal-Mart, the Colorado Education Association bit the hand that feeds its lucrative retirement plan.
Court: Teachers Union in Poudre Puffs Bacon's Election: The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the Colorado Education Association illegally aided a state senator's 2004 campaign.
A Double Victory for Teachers' Rights: Unions to Ask and Disclose: A federal court and the Colorado Secretary of State ruled on consecutive days in favor of individual workers.
HB 1072: Empowering Union Leaders, Not Workers: A legislative proposal would eliminate a special protection for Colorado workers who choose not to join a union.
Pueblo School Districts: Union Teaches that "No" Doesn't Really Mean "No": Pueblo school districts still require non-union member teachers to opt out of paying union fees year after year.
© 2007 Independence Institute
The information on these pages is published for educational purposes only, and not to advocate for the passage or defeat of any ballot measure.