Labor unions in Wisconsin, still smarting from their defeat at the hands of Gov. Scott Walker, are dumping millions of dollars into efforts to unseat Republicans in the upcoming state special elections this summer.
To date, We Are Wisconsin, a political action committee, working to flip the state Senate from Republican to Democratic control, has raised more than $4 million over the last six weeks. The organization also reportedly has $2 million cash on hand for state recall efforts.
Although the PAC describes itself as a “grassroots lobbying program,” the vast majority of its contributions have come from labor unions. According to campaign finance documents, the AFL-CIO gave $3.1 million and the AFSCME contributed more than $1.07 million to the PAC. The American Federation of Teachers, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, donated $22,168.
Other contributions were made by the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state’s biggest teachers union; and the United Food and Commercial Workers.
The committee only listed $5,022 in individual contributions.
And the PAC isn’t sitting on that money. It has already spent some $350,000 in TV advertising, according to finance reports. (Ohioans fighting to kill Obamacare with state constitution)
Six Republican and three Democratic Wisconsin senators are facing recall elections this summer in the aftermath of the bitter battle over Governor Walker’s bill to restrict collective bargaining for public-sector employees.
We Are Wisconsin did not return calls for comment.