Public employee union spends $28 million on progressive politics

Watchdog.org discusses with Trey Kovacs the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees political spending of $28 million. 

Trey Kovacs, a policy analyst for the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute, said it’s no surprise AFSCME obscures a portion of its political spending as “Contributions, Gifts and Grants” in annual reports.

“Moreover, nearly all activity taken by government unions is inherently political,” Kovacs told Watchdog.org. “It is common for unions to use fees from non-members to influence how public money is spent, which is blatantly political.”

“Non-members should not have to pay for this activity, yet a number of states have given government unions the absurd privilege of forcing hardworking men and women to pay for representation they don’t want and activity they vehemently disagree with,” he added.

Kovacs said AFSCME’s 2015 spending reaffirms the union’s sharply political nature, and should serve as another argument for states to pass right-to-work laws protecting each worker’s right to choose whether to pay a union.

Read the full article at Watchdog.org.