A new post by Allison Padgett, Contributor,Blog of The Century.
I love Ben & Jerry’s. Favorite flavor: Mint Chocolate Cookie. And there’s another reason to love Ben & Jerry’s. It is one of the most socially conscious companies in America, advocating for the environment and other progressive issues. Which is why I did a double take when this post popped up on its Facebook page recently:
“America was a nation founded by and for the people, not corporations, unions, and special interests. We need to take a stand against the Citizens United ruling. Watch a video we created with GOOD to learn more about Citizens United, and take action at GetTheDoughOut.org.”
Get the dough out of politics? I’m with you a 100%. Lumping unions in with corporations and other “special interests”? Not so fast.
Union political activity is vastly different from that of corporations, yet they are compared like this all the time. The difference between who is behind it and who it aims to benefit couldn’t be greater. Not to mention the fact that corporations outspend unions in politics by 15:1.
There is no secret agenda behind union political activity. It exists for one purpose: to uplift and protect America’s middle class. We fight for decent wages, social security, child labor laws, safe working conditions and so much more.
It has never been about helping just those who are in unions. This is why union members devoted tremendous resources to winning health care reform, even those of us who already have health insurance. It’s because we know that America can’t thrive if some of us are left behind. We stand up because it’s the right thing to do, and because it helps everyone.
Another key point: union political money comes from people like you and me. It comes a few bucks at a time from the school bus driver or firefighter who voluntarily donate the money to protect the interests of working people. It’s not coming from billionaire casino boss Sheldon Adelson, who has personally pledged $100 million to defeat President Obama.
Corporate billionaires are not in the game because they want to make sure you and your family are getting a fair shake. It’s because they want to make some more money. And in order to do that, they’re gonna need to dismantle some of the gains we have made over the last century.
California’s Proposition 32, the so-called “Stop Special Interest Money Now Act”, is a good example. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Except Prop. 32 is funded by billionaires who have conveniently exempted themselves from the rules they want the rest of us to abide by. It would drown out the voices of middle class union members in politics, but won’t do anything to stop the influence of corporations or Big Oil. Do you really believe a secretive Koch Brother Super PAC would pour millions of dollars in support of a ballot initiative that would stop the influence of secretive Super PACs?
Conflating the political activity of unions and corporations is not only inaccurate, it’s dangerous. It misleads voters and masks the real power struggle that is happening in our country, the one between those of us who believe all hardworking Americans deserves a fair shot and those who believe 47% of us are freeloaders.
Ben & Jerry’s is right about something important: our democracy is for the American people. Citizens United is bad because it tips the balance of power even further away from us. But union political activism is not at odds with our democratic traditions; it is vital in preserving it. Our special interest is the American people.
As a Communications Specialist for AFSCME, Allison Padgett amplifies the voices of the librarians, trash collectors and other public service workers who make our communities happen. She graduated from University of California, Davis and lives in Las Vegas.
The Century Foundation is a progressive think tank, founded in 1919, with office in NYC and DC. For more information, visit tcf.org
7:08 AM PT: new tags