Editorial:
Proposition 32: Political Contributions by Payroll Deduction. Contributions to Candidates
Here we go again! Right wing, union-busting conservatives are once again trying to neuter labor unions by preventing unions from contributing and collecting dues for political campaigns.
The Republican Party has put on a full court press against unions across the nation. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker tried to strip unions of all bargaining power. In New Jersey, Gov. Christie has been a champion of the anti-union movement. And in San Diego, if Carl DeMaio becomes mayor, his pension reform movement will focus on stripping local unions of their political clout.
Let’s make no mistake about this, Proposition 32 is about undercutting one of the main pillars of support for the Democratic Party. Proponents dress up this bill with buzz words such as pension reform and special interest money, and they mislead voters by including the term “corporations” into the argument. Don’t be fooled. This proposition will not negatively affect corporations.
But at the heart of this proposition is the intent to eliminate the ability of unions to collect dues which would be used in the political process. We know that corporations do not mandate the collection of employee dues. So this has no impact on them. The Supreme Court has already ruled that corporations have the right to give as much money as the want to political campaigns. Many corporations are now giving millions upon millions to their Republican candidates, far outpacing what the Democrats are receiving – period, much less than what unions are contributing.
In January 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are people and that limiting their right to contribute to political campaigns was a restriction on their First Amendment Right of Freedom of Speech. This allowed for unlimited corporate and special interest spending on “electioneering communications.”
This Supreme Court ruling will make Proposition 32’s statements in regards to corporation giving null and void. So what is left of Proposition 32? What is left is the ability of unions to collect dues for the expressed interest of political campaigning in support of their ideals.
Proposition 32 is nothing more than an attack on unions. An attack on unions is an attack on the working man and his right to have a voice. It greatly harms the working man’s ability to counterbalance most corporations’ goals of eliminating unions all together.
Vote No on Prop. 32 for the sake of Democracy. Republicans are already trying to limit minority voting rights by limiting access to the voting booth. Don’t let them limit the working man’s collective voice!