[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                USE OF UNION DUES FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES

  (Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that they want to change 
all the campaign laws, when the Democrat Party has had trouble keeping 
the laws we have on the books today.
  But here is an issue that you will not hear many of the liberal 
colleagues discuss when speaking so passionately about campaign finance 
reform. It is the use of union dues for political purposes.
  During the last election, the AFL-CIO spent a minimum of $35 million 
in an unprecedented effort to buy Congress. This money came from the 
paychecks of American workers through special assessments of local 
unions, and yet national polling tells us that 40 percent of the union 
workers did not agree with the way their money was being spent.
  Thomas Jefferson said, ``To compel a man to furnish contributions of 
money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful 
and tyrannical.'' Later on, in 1988, the Supreme Court said in its Beck 
decision that the use of compulsory dues and fees for purposes ``beyond 
those necessary to finance collective bargaining activities violated 
the judicially created duty of fair representation.''
  I welcome the AFL-CIO's involvement in the political process. They 
should however respect the rights of their members. Let us free up the 
paychecks of American workers.
  Union workers should be allowed to voluntarily participate in 
politics. Not against their will but voluntarily. And no campaign 
reform is acceptable without freeing the paychecks of American workers.

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