The Coalition of Labor Union Women Calls for the Defeat of Proposition 32:

Condemns the Right Wing Effort to Silence the Voice of Working Women and Men in California

September 15, 2012: The Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) expresses their outrage at the thinly disguised effort to suppress the voice of union members by eliminating their political voice through the so-called "paycheck protection" initiative to appear on the ballot in California as Proposition 32.  This measure is supposed to restrict political contributions by unions and corporations, but its real target is working people.  And we are not surprised.  In Republican dominated State Houses throughout the country over 800 initiatives have been introduced to remove the voices of working people - by eliminating their voice on the job by restricting collective bargaining rights or eliminating their political voice as in efforts like Proposition 32.

In a piece in the San Francisco Examiner, John Logan, a professor of labor and employment studies at San Francisco State University comments, "Prop. 32 promoters say that the measure treats corporations and unions equitably, but by prohibiting payroll deductions to collect political contributions, Prop. 32 would all but eliminate unions' voice. Unions rely on payroll deduction to raise funds for politics; corporations use profits. Yet the initiative places no meaningful limitations on spending by wealthy business interests. The measure would prohibit direct donations to candidates and parties from corporate general funds, but this is not how most business interests exercise influence in Sacramento. It would not stop corporate Super PACs from contributing to candidates, nor does it limit corporate spending on ballot initiatives."

And another independent voice, the League of Women Voters says, "The initiative is not what it seems. It does not take money out of politics – because super PACs and independent expenditure committees are exempt from its controls. It is unfair and unbalanced, restricting unions while not stopping corporate special interests."

At a time when women workers are getting attacked on all sides: in their work life, where targeting public workers (for example) leads to the greatest job losses by women and in their private lives where decisions about health care and reproductive rights are being jeopardized - women need to be able to make informed decisions about what candidate supports their best interest and not have their influence restricted by undemocratic maneuvers like Proposition 32.  

CLUW's President, Karen See states,  "We are urging our members and friends to hit the streets to mobilize for a "No Vote" on Proposition 32.  We are angry about this continued attack on working people and since this type of ballot measure has been rejected twice before in California in 1998 and 2005, let's make this three strikes and you're out!''