American Future Fund (AFF) creates $4Mil Yes on 32 Committee
by Brian Leubitz
While the Yes on 32 team would have Californians believe that Prop 32 is just a good ol’ political reform measure, any notion of that should go by the boards now:
Look what just arrived in the Friday-afternoon-news-dump: A $4 million contribution to Prop 32 … So what’s the connection between the donor – the Des Moines, Iowa-based American Future Fund – and the billionaire conservative financiers the Koch brothers? Because of opaque campaign finance laws, tracing the money is a challenge. Politico makes the case here. (SF Chronicle)
If you follow that Politico link you will see that AFF is connected to the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a Koch-funded “nonprofit” that gives out money to other groups that do much of the dirty work.
What we now have in Prop 32 is not only a deceptive measure, but one that is being supported by the very folks that want to obliterate all campaign finance regulations. This clearly puts the lie to this being about anything other than an anti-labor scheme. More than ever this is the time that we need to roll up our sleeves and make sure our neighbors understand what this tricky measure really is.
You can start today by sharing the Chronicle story with your friends on facebook and twitter. But more important is that direct communication with friends and co-workers that is the most persuasive. There are just over seven weeks remaining, and we need to make them count.
Note: Brian Leubitz, the editor of this blog, works for the No on 32 campaign. Please like the campaign on facebook or follow on twitter.
Give me one other organization that fights for worker’s rights, health and safety laws, meal breaks, nurse patient ratios, social security, unemployment, 8 hour day, overtime, minimum wage, family leave, workers comp, state disability, disciplinary procedures to name a few.
First, I am salary, I am an at will employee. If you want to know what you don’t have just go and work in Nevada (Right to work for less)or Utah(Right to work for less and no DAVIS-BACON) to see what California will look like if this passes. Since I spent last year working in Nevada, I can tell you I worked for less almost 1/3 less in wages than what I make now back in CA. Utah is another animal the wages there were even lower, that’s why I choose Nevada. I had to work 40 hours first before I got overtime, there was no set start times or days that you worked, if the company got busy and we had to put in double shifts when we reached 40 hours in 3 days instead of paying us overtime they brought in another shift to work the same double shift. How does this happen? Over a couple of election cycles we turn into Corpornia. They’ll get their candidages elected and any law on the books can be repealed and right to work legislation can be voted in just like they did in Utah. In late 70’s UT had equal or higher wages than California. Than Right to work was passed and the next morning I went to work for 1/3 less. Than in 1993 Davis-Bacon was repealed and I went to work for 1/2 my orginial wages and no more benefits. After 30 years, Utah wages have returned back to where they were but the benefits a company provides is about 1/2 of what it once was.