Oregon unions propose campaign finance limits that would still allow big donations -- from unions
The OregonianDecember 22, 2021
After private negotiations to control political donations broke down, labor unions have filed three dueling campaign finance initiative petitions for the 2022 ballot that are far looser than measures already proposed by good government groups.
While the two camps agree that political money needs to be controlled in Oregon, one of five states with no caps on campaign donations, they have unresolved differences.
The union proposals, submitted to Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan last week, would still allow unions and other member-based organizations to make large donations to political campaigns. OPB first reported the proposals’ submission.
A one-page initiative proposed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, which represents more than 28,000 grocery store and non-food retail workers, would allow massive donations to state leaders.
How? The UFCW plan, Initiative Petition 48, would permit member-based organizations to donate $100 per member. A group like AARP, which has 38 million members nationwide, could in theory make a $3.8 billion donation under the UFCW plan.
The other two proposals from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents more than 30,000 public employees in Oregon, are similar to the plans from good government groups. But they would allow labor unions, which give more to Democratic candidates than Republicans, to make larger donations than the good government groups propose. The labor groups didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The AFSCME proposals, initiative petitions 46 and 47, would allow unions to give more than $1 million apiece to candidates through so-called small donor committees. They would permit donations of $50 per member living or working in Oregon; some Oregon labor groups have as many as 40,000 members. Donations from individuals would be capped at $2,000 for statewide offices, like governor, and $1,000 for legislators, judges and district attorneys.
Good government groups, including Honest Elections Oregon and the League of Women Voters, have proposed lower limits on small donor committees, with restrictions on both how much they could collect from members and how much they could give to any candidate.
The fight is shaping up a year after voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 107, which amended the state constitution to explicitly make donation limits legal. Lawmakers referred the measure to the ballot in the wake of The Oregonian/OregonLive’s award-winning 2019 series “Polluted by Money,” which showed that on a per capita basis, corporate interests gave more money to Oregon lawmakers over a decade than in any state in the country.
Oregon’s state elections have become some of the nation’s costliest. The 2018 governor’s race broke records, with Democrat Kate Brown and Republican Knute Buehler raising nearly $40 million. But even competitive races for two-year House seats can cost $1 million.
The petitions could form the basis for continued negotiations with the good government groups or for dueling proposals on the ballot next year.
To qualify for the ballot, each petition needs 112,020 signatures.
— Rob Davis
503.294.7657; @robwdavis
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