Chip Atkin, Chair, Sonoma County Chapter of SEIU 1021 Committee on Political Education made this statement on Prop 32:
Vote No on Proposition 32!
Proposition 32 purports to be campaign finance reform, that will get the special interest out of politics by prohibiting both corporations and unions from
- making political contributions directly to candidates, and
- from collecting payroll deductions to fund their political efforts.
It is extremely deceptive and filled with special exemptions for corporations. There are only a few types of corporations that are affected by the law. Close held, LLC corporations, real estate trusts, and incorporated Super PAC’s are exempt, not to mention the individual, billionaire CEO’s of Corporations are unaffected. Prohibiting corporations from doing payroll deductions to fund politics is like prohibiting men from getting pregnant. Corporations don’t use payroll deductions to fund their political efforts, they use their business profits. Corporations will still be able to invest their profits in Super PAC’s, that will give them a loud voice on any political issue or candidate.
The payroll deduction provision will eliminate unions’ sources of funding, which they use for political efforts to protect working families and the middle class’s interests. If Proposition 32 passes, we will not be able to fight the attacks on our compensation, pensions, and union rights. We’ll not be able to fight the corporate funded attacks on the middle class, that threaten to privatize Social Security (making it less secure for the average person), reduce worker safety regulations (in the name of reducing cumbersome regulation on business), pair back on overtime compensation, and reverse gains in health care coverage.
Corporations already out spend unions 15 to1 in politics. This proposition only changes the way that corporations spend their money on politics, but it will eliminate the ability of unions to fund any effort to support candidates or issues which are important to working people. Don’t let corporate interests silence unions. Vote No on Proposition 32.
- Visit the Stop the Special Exemptions Act website
- The California State Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO at the State level) has a page on their web site on Proposition 32. Visit it here: http://www.calaborfed.org/index.php/site/page/exposing_the_corporate_power_grab
- The California Progress Report shared information here.
We encourage everyone to learn how Proposition hurts unions and everyone else who tries to assure that the voice of regular people is heard and acted on.
Please Act Now to tell other people to vote No on Proposition 32
