A new watchdog group is launching Wednesday to monitor and report on a key institutional ally of the Democratic Party.
The Public Labor Unions Accountability Committee (PLUAC) will scrutinize public sector unions, which the group describes as exercising “outsized” political influence. Between political action committees (PACs), individual contributions and outside spending, public sector labor unions have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to influence elections over the past decade, with most of those funds supporting Democrats or pro-Democrat groups, according to data from OpenSecrets.
PLUAC’s main goals are protecting taxpayers, seniors and parents from abuse of their tax dollars or public services they depend on, as well as “reigniting public concern and accountability of public sector unions,” a PLUAC spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Additionally, the watchdog group will look to demonstrate the considerable influence that public sector labor unions have accumulated in electoral politics. (RELATED: Government Unions Funneled Almost $300 Million In Taxpayer-Funded Dues Into Politics Last Cycle, Report Finds)
A man participates in a caravan in support of the Chicago Teachers Union, as negotiations with Chicago Public Schools continue over a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety plan agreement in Chicago, Illinois, on January 30, 2021. (Photo via REUTERS/Eileen T. Meslar)
“Public sector unions are the puppet masters of the progressive left in our schools, media, and government. They control our kids’ education, trapping parents and students in failing schools dominated by the public teachers unions. They control what we read, see, and hear in the news, pushing the far-left narrative dictated by union bosses,” a spokesperson for PLUAC told the DCNF. “They impact core functions of our government, from Medicare services for seniors to local municipal operations. They are the top donors to progressive left elected officials across the country, with zero accountability to the American people. That must change.”
The organization also released a 30-second video advertisement to mark and promote its launch on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Proponents of public sector unions tout the organizations as key safeguards for government employees and school teachers. However, opponents argue that they operate more as a piece of political machinery, often aggressively spending members’ taxpayer-funded union dues to help elect politicians who then purport to represent taxpayers when a new contract comes up for negotiation, according to the Hoover Institution.
In the 2020 election cycle alone, public sector unions and affiliated entities spent more than $92 million, with each of the top ten spenders favoring Democrats or liberals, according to OpenSecrets.
Teachers’ unions, such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), have drawn increased scrutiny since public schools closed for an extended period of time during the coronavirus pandemic. AFT President Randi Weingarten called efforts to reopen schools in the fall of 2020 “reckless” and “cruel,” and she claimed in 2021 that Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to reopen his state would kill “millions” of people.
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