Liberal Groups Get $765 Million Payday Courtesy of Union Members

Liberal groups and election campaigns cashed in on about $765 million from union members' paychecks, according to a new report.

Unions nationwide shipped more than $100 million each year to liberal advocacy groups and political groups backing Democratic candidates between 2012 and 2016, according to labor watchdog group Center for Union Facts. Many of these groups are overtly political with more than $300 million spent supporting campaigns and ballot initiatives.

The AFL-CIO-backed Working America was the largest beneficiary of union resources, collecting more than $50 million from national, state, and local unions. Some of the campaigns were focused on advancing labor and Democratic interests at the state level, such as Working Families for Connecticut, the Lone Star Project, and Raise Wisconsin, while others were national organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, the Center for American Progress, and Catalist, a tool used to help drive get-out-the-vote efforts for liberal candidates.

Money was not limited to campaigns; more than $6.6 million in union membership dues was sent to liberal media outlets, including the Nation Institute, American Prospect, and a production company owned by former MSNBC host Ed Schultz.

The flood of money into these liberal organizations did not prevent union members or their family members from defecting and voting against union-backed candidates. Exit polls found that 42 percent of union households voted for President Donald Trump despite the fact that he received endorsements from just three police and border patrol unions.

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