National Legal and Policy Center
1309 Vincent Place, Suite 1000
McLean, Virginia 22101
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 1998
CONTACT: Dan Rene 703-847-3088
Teamsters Money-Laundering Scandal Hurts Teamsters'
PAC, Yet it Still Will Spend
$2 Million More Than the $7.4 Million Taxpayers Will Pay for Their Rerun
Election
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Legal and Policy Center issued its 1998
Study of Top Union PACs today. The study resulted in three key findings:
(1) Top union PACs have more cash on hand at the onset of this election
year than ever before. At the start of 1998, top union PACs have nearly
$5 million more than they did at the start of 1996.
(2) The Teamsters' PAC has been hurt by the Teamsters money-laundering
scandal. The Teamsters' PAC's cash on hand at the start of 1998 is 56%
lower than it was at the start of 1996 and 44% lower than 1994. Political
receipts are dramatically off for the Teamsters PAC as well. Their PAC
took in 16% less in 1997 than it did in 1995 and 14% less than 1993. Only
one other top union PAC, Laborers' International Union of North America
(LIUNA) which has its own share of scandal and corruption, had a drop in
political receipts from 1995 to 1997. Even more serious for the Teamsters'
PAC, no other top union PAC raised less money in 1997 than 1993.
(3) Despite the slowdown in Teamsters PAC's political receipts, the Teamsters
are projected to still have $9.4 million in political disbursements in
the 1997-98 election cycle. That is $2 million more than the Teamsters
1998 rerun election is projected to cost U.S. Taxpayers. The Teamsters
are by far the richest Top Union PAC in terms of Political Disbursements.
In the 1995-96 election cycle, the Teamsters' PAC's Political Disbursements
totaled $9.9 Million. Next was NEA's PAC with $5.0 million and then AFSCME's
PAC with $4.3 Million.
"At the start of this election year, Top Union PACs are ready as ever
to pour millions into politics," said NLPC Chairman Ken Boehm. "Except
for the Teamsters and LIUNA, all top union PACs had a record fundraising
year in 1997 compared to other off-years."
"The Teamsters' PAC will spend $9.4 million on politics this election
cycle. That's $2 million more than $7.4 million US Taxpayers will be forced
to fork over for the Teamsters' rerun election," added Boehm. "It's
an outrage. Teamsters should pay for their own elections, not the taxpayers."
For a copy of the study or interviews, contact Dan Rene at 703-847-3088
or drene@nlpc.org . NLPC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation promoting
ethics and accountability in government. NLPC was a plaintiff in the lawsuit
which succeeded in opening the records of Hillary Rodham Clinton's Health
Care Task Force. NLPC's Organized Labor Accountability Project is investigating
and exposing corruption in the Teamsters, LIUNA, AFL-CIO and other labor
organizations.
# # #