Union workers' role in elections a thorny issue

The FEC was divided recently over whether the UPW can require political participation

By Derrick DePledge

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 27, 2012

~~<p>The United Public Workers agreed to pay a $5,500 civil penalty to the Federal Election Commission in July for failing to report more than $40,000 in independent spending to help U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa win a special election for Congress in 2010.</p>
<p>While the penalty is noteworthy, the complaint that led to the agreement is more absorbing, since it forced a divided FEC to consider how far labor unions could go to require employees to engage in political activities on behalf of federal candidates in the wake of Citizens United v. FEC, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows unlimited independent political spending.</p>
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The United Public Workers agreed to pay a $5,500 civil penalty to the Federal Election Commission in July for failing to report more than $40,000 in independent spending to help U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa win a special election for Congress in 2010.

While the penalty is noteworthy, the complaint that led to the agreement is more absorbing, since it forced a divided FEC to consider how far labor unions could go to require employees to engage in political activities on behalf of federal candidates in the wake of Citizens United v. FEC, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows unlimited independent political spending. Login for more...