The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 3 of 3)

br> Word that the Labor Department is finally getting detailed financial disclosure data from labor unions under requirements of the 1959 Landrum-Griffin labor reform act is making officials at the AFL-CIO and National Education Association (NEA) nervous. Over the weekend, columnist Robert Novak reported that initial disclosure documents from the AFL-CIO showed that the union spent $49 million, or 27 percent of its annual budget, on political and lobbying activities. That's about 50% more than it spent on its actual membership. NEA numbers are believed to be close to the AFL-CIO's on a percentage basis. /p>

What some Republicans will be interested in tracking is how much of that almost-50 million dollar figure went to fund the shadow 527 organizations that attempted to help Democrats, particularly presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, during the 2000 election cycle.

topics:
Education, John Boehner, Bill Clinton, Environment, Unions