Unions shower Democrats with funds Soft money flows in as race for White House tightens
By Ruth Marcus and Mike Allen
July 18 - Labor unions have dramatically stepped up their political giving this year, showering the Democratic Party with record amounts of "soft money" donations from union treasuries, newly released disclosure reports show.
REPORTS MADE available yesterday by the Federal Election Commission show that labor unions already have donated nearly $15 million for the 2000 race, almost all to Democrats. That is 50 percent more than their entire soft money giving for each of the last two election cycles.
The most striking increase in union contributions was from the Service Employees International Union, which contributed $2 million to Democratic Party committees during the three months that ended June 30. The union, which represents health care workers, janitors and public employees, gave $1.5 million to the House Democrats' campaign committee and $500,000 to the Democratic National Committee.
That brings the union to nearly $3 million in contributions so far this election - compared with $353,000 during the 1996 campaign and $663,000 in 1998. By Election Day, said SEIU President Andrew L. Stern, the union expects to give a total of "several million" in soft money, which comes from member dues.
"My sense is the labor movement thinks there's a lot on the line in 2000 in terms of the issues that are important to our members and we want to win," he said. "Our members want to win. They're tired of waiting."
'THERE'S MUCH MORE AT STAKE'
Stern's union is not alone. Six of the 10 largest union givers during the 1996 campaign have already exceeded that year's amount in the 2000 race - with four months left to give before Election Day.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) has given $2.5 million, including $620,000 in the last quarter alone to the Democratic National Committee - more than double its giving four years ago.
"If you look at the Dole-Clinton race, after June it was all over except for the formalities. This is a much more competitive political arena, and there's much more at stake," said AFSCME spokeswoman Cate Barnett Alexander. "Unions feel very strongly that there is a world of difference between George Bush and Al Gore."
Other unions that have not been at the top of the giving lists have also significantly stepped up their contributions. For example, the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, which gave just $6,000 in the 1998 campaign and $180,000 in 1996, contributed $250,000 to the DNC last month, bringing its total this cycle to $540,000.
SOFT MONEY BOOST
While soft money contributions from corporations and wealthy individuals also have been growing over the last several election cycles, those increases benefit both political parties, although business giving tilts significantly toward the GOP. For Democrats, the rise in labor contributions is especially important because they go almost entirely to Democrats, with only a few scattered contributions to the GOP.
The soft money to parties is not supposed to be used directly on federal campaigns, but it can be used to finance get-out-the-vote efforts and in part to pay for the party's "issue advertising" on behalf of its candidates. In addition to soft money, labor gives through its political action committees and with grass-roots efforts to bolster campaigns.
Still, said Steve Rosenthal, political director of the AFL-CIO, "I don't think that the union soft money contributions are increasing at a faster rate than any other sector. What you're looking at are some very large contributions that have been made, but when all is said and done corporations will outspend unions by a higher percentage in this election than ever before." Not including the figures released yesterday, businesses already have given $105 million, $67 million of that to Republicans.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Erik Smith said that "the growth in labor receipts is similar to the growth we've seen in fund-raising across the board."
HOUSE CAMPAIGNS ALSO TARGETED
Some unions, seeing an opening for Democrats to regain control of the House, are concentrating their giving on the House Democrats' campaign committee. For example, the United Food and Commercial Workers gave $450,000 to the DCCC last quarter, along with $200,000 to the Democratic National Committee.
"There's a real opportunity to displace the current leadership of the House and there's a real commitment to return a worker-friendly House," said union spokesman Greg Denier.
While many union officials say they favor abolishing soft money, they say they will keep on giving it to compete with business. "We support campaign finance reform but the situation being the way it is, it's sort of a war of attrition when it comes to money," said Jeffery M. Miller, communications director of the Communications Workers of America, which gave $120,000 to the DNC in May, adding to the $1.6 million it has already given this cycle.
The union contributions were just part of a torrent of soft money reported by both parties yesterday. According to an analysis by FECInfo, the DNC three-month report showed 71 donations of $100,000 or more, and 10 of $250,000 or more. The Republican National Committee, which reports on a different schedule and included receipts just for the month of June in its filing, showed 92 donations of $100,000 or more in that month, including seven of $250,000 or more.