A deceptive statewide ballot measure has qualified for the November 2012 General Election Ballot that, if passed by voters, would have dire consequences for CAPE members’ careers.
The “Special Exemptions Act” claims to be about “stopping special interests”, but what it would actually do is give special exemptions to corporate special interests and Super PACs. The initiative backers claim it would rein in campaign contributions by both unions and corporations. In fact, however, the deceptive wording of the initiative specifically limits the voice of union members like us while giving even more power to wealthy corporate special interests to influence elections, control government, and weaken California’s middle class.
As you can see from the chart, since corporations do not rely on payroll deduction for PAC contributions, the real impact of the measure is to prohibit union political activity while allowing corporate political clout to grow.
Corporations already outspend unions 15 to 1 in politics. Without our collective voice to provide at least some counter balance, how can we possibly defend against the big corporate agenda of outsourcing jobs, slashing wages and health benefits, attacking retirement security, and eliminating collective bargaining? If the “Special Exemptions Act” is approved by voters in November, the fate of Wisconsinites could very easily become the fate of Californians.
We’ll be working hard in the coming months to educate CAPE-represented employees about the dangers of the “Special Exemptions Act”. Please tell your friends and family that it is actually just a veiled attempt to dismantle the rights and protections of hard-working Californians. We need all CAPE-represented employees to vote “NO” on this deceptive ballot measure in November 2012.
 |
| Chart data provided by the Law Offices of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn, LLP. |