California Union Political Spending – There’s Gold in Those Hills

The Big Labor based coalition that defeated Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s special election initiatives last year is contemplating a reunion. Even with polls showing Gov. Schwarzenegger cruising to re-election, the union bosses are out for blood.

To defeat the reform initiatives that were on the ballot, California organized labor spent an astounding $148.5 million of workers’ dues money. The California Teachers Union alone spent nearly $60 million.

California, of course, is not a right to work state. Workers do not have the protections they need and are forced to pay union dues or fees as a job condition. That leaves the bosses’ political treasure chests filled to throw vast sums of money at political causes — even into a losing effort now and then.