Opinion
ACORN Deletes References to Unions from Web Site
By: Kevin Mooney
Commentary Staff Writer
04/22/09 5:04 PM EDT
Just a few days after The Washington Examiner reported on links between the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) and organized labor it appears the self described group of non-partisan community activists has erased web site references to union affiliates that were cited in the article.
Fortunately, Matthew Vadum, a senior analyst and editor with the Capital Research Center (CRC) who closely scrutinized ACORN and its many affiliates has a record of the web site.
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and ACORN are essentially joined at the hip. SEIU Locals 100 and 880 were previously identified as allied organizations on ACORN’s web site. But the reference was deleted shortly after The Examiner story ran.
U.S. Department of Labor LM-2’s (financial disclosure forms) point to over $600,000 in transactions between these same SEIU locals and other ACORN operations. A 2007 LM-2 form shows SEIU Local 880, which is active in Illinois and Minnesota, donated $60,118 to ACORN for "membership services." Organized labor has kicked it back in the form of gifts and grants to ACORN totaling $2.4 million, the LM-2’s reveal
“ACORN claims to be non-partisan but there are mountains of evidence that show it is flagrantly partisan,” Vadum said. “It celebrates the most left-wing politicians and endorses Democratic Party candidates. Whenever ACORN is called out for activity that might violate their tax status, the standard operating procedure is to deny responsibility and to place the blame on rogue actors. Their network is deliberately set up to avoid scrutiny and to create confusion.”
Top ACORN officers have also been supportive of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), also known as the Card Check bill, Vadum points out. The bill was reintroduced earlier this year by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). Organized labor has contributed to members of congress, mostly Democrats, who have expressed support for Card Check.
In 2008 SEIU spent over $42 million on independent expenditures and communications, more than any other group aside from the Republican and Democratic National Committees, according to OpenSecrets.org. SEIU’s political action committee (PAC) also contributed about $2.3 million to candidates in the 2007-2008 cycle, with 94 percent of its donations going to Democrats, campaign records show.
The web site that listed SEIU 100 and 880 up until a few days ago no longer has these affiliates listed. An older copy of the web site that includes the SEIU affilates is available here.
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