U.S. labor unions paid MSNBC “Ed Show” host Ed Schultz roughly $200,000 in 2011, and roughly $337,000 over the last seven years, according to Department of Labor documents.
Newsbusters first reported that the liberal TV talker received $190,000 from the Communications Workers of America for “representational activities” in 2011. CWA president Larry Cohen is a regular guest on Schultz’s radio program.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers also paid Schultz $9,900 last year.
In 2010 his union salaries totaled a comparatively small $37,350. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) paid him $15,000, $14,850 and $7,500, respectively.
The unions classified the 2010 payments to Schultz as “union administration” expenses, according to Labor Department records.
Schultz’s union salaries doubled since the debut of “The Ed Show” on MSNBC in 2009.
The unions’ records, filed with the federal government in compliance with the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, show that his financial ties with unions date back to 2005.
Schultz received a total of $42,500 from various unions in 2009 for “political activities.” The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, AFSCME and the Building and Construction Trades union all paid Schultz that year.
In 2008 he received $22,304 from United Steelworkers and Air Traffic Controllers for “union administration” and “general overhead.” Schultz collected a similar figure in 2006 — $21,820 — from unions including AFSCME, Laborers’ International and Air Traffic Controllers for “union administration” and “political activities.”