Unions Contribute $600,000 to General Assembly Races
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Unions have now contributed more than half a million dollars to General Assembly races, according to the state’s largest taxpayer group.
Union political action committees (PACs) have given a total of more than $600,000 to 52 candidates for the House and 27 candidates for the Senate from the 2008 election cycle to the most recent campaign filings, according to the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition (RISC).
“Public employee unions this year continue to have a disproportionate influence over the campaigns for General Assembly because they can draw from the mandatory dues system of their employees to fund their PACs,” said RISC Chairman Harry Staley. “They have no peer in the state with a PAC system like that.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTGeorge Nee, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO has previously said that unions are simply exercising their right to participate in the political process. And he has accused groups like RISC of complaining about union influence without becoming involved themselves.
The number is a significant increase since September, when GoLocalProv first reported that combined union PAC donations to General Assembly races was at least $200,000, based on data compiled by RISC.
"At a time when our state needs leaders in the Legislature to make difficult decisions that will directly impact the pay and retirement benefits of a wide array of public employees, it's very concerning to see that over half a million dollars is being disbursed from public employee unions themselves - who will be looking to see their interests protected at the General Assembly," RISC said in a statement.
Candidates that Union PACs Have Funded
RISC claims that union PACs representing teachers, firefighters, state and municipal workers, are often the single largest contributors to a campaign. RISC also says that public sector union money is behind close to three-fourths of all RI General Assembly campaigns. Those unions involved include NEARI, AFTRI, AFL-CIO, and AFSCME.
According to RISC, the five candidates for state rep who have accepted the most contributions are:
• Gordon D. Fox ($20,365)
• Kenneth Carter ($12,400)
• Stephen R. Ucci ($11,500)
• Rene R. Menard ($11,420)
• Charlene Lima ($10,400)
For the state Senate they are:
• John J. Tassoni, Jr. ($23,960)
• M. Teresea Paiva Weed ($20,300)
• Dominick Ruggerio ($20,150)
• Frank A. Ciccone ($18,850)
• Beatrice A. Lanzi ($18,200)
All of the candidates listed above currently incumbents seeking re-election.
