The list of corporations leaving the American Legislative Exchange Council continues to grow. Hewlett-Packard, CVS Caremark, Deere & Co., Miller, Coors and Best Buy announced they are breaking ties with the radical organization this week. These five companies join Amazon, Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kaplan, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mars, Inc., Intuit, Proctor & Gamble, Reed Elsevier, America Traffic S... [More]

Local municipalities can’t be expected to protect their communities on their own. The federal government must do its part in securing America’s borders when it comes to wildfires, floods, hurricanes and other disasters, says General President Harold Schaitberger.General President Schaitberger discussed the Colorado wildfires and the role of government on MSNBC’s Ed Schultz show Tuesday night.“It’s not just a local government responsibility – it is part of a wh... [More]

The Public Campaign Action Fund, a Washington, DC based non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to improving America's campaign finance laws developed this Pinterest board of the richest billionaires contributing to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. The board features 33 billionaires who combined have contributed at least $16,372,500 to Romney’s super PAC. Follow the money and make sure the IAFF Pinterest boards too!  

A U.S. Senator is trying to repeal the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program (PSOB), which provides assistance to the families of fire fighters killed in the line of duty. As unbelievable as it seems, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is claiming that the program, which has been on the books for over three decades, violates the U.S. Constitution and should be abolished. PSOB came to Coburn’s attention when the Senate Judiciary Committee began work on a bill that would improve the program... [More]

Wal-Mart has announced it is ending its membership in the conservative advocacy group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The world’s largest retailer has been under pressure to drop its affiliation with ALEC after its role in drafting Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” Law became public. Wal-Mart has long been criticized for paying its workers low wages. Many of its workers say they have to get assistance for healthcare from state and federal ass... [More]

You can add Amazon.com to the list of companies giving the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) the boot. The online retailer announced yesterday it would no longer retain its membership with ALEC known for crafting anti-union laws. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kaplan, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mars, Inc., Intuit, Proctor & Gamble, Reed Elsevier, America Traffic Solutions, Arizona Public Services and the Nati... [More]

The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) released a new report analyzing the cozy relationships that some Wisconsin lawmakers enjoy with the American Legislative Exchange Council. ALEC, a Washington, DC based non-profit, thrives on operating in the shadows of American government pushing anti-worker, anti-union legislation in statehouses across the country. CMD reports in ‘ALEC Exposed in Wisconsin: The Hijacking of a State’ that 32 bills on budget provisions reflecting ALEC model l... [More]

Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is no friend of organized labor. On Tuesday, the former Massachusetts governor took a swipe at unions while campaigning in Lansing, Michigan. He said,” Liberalism once taught that unions would ensure lasting prosperity for workers. Instead, they too often contributed to disappearing companies, disappearing industries and disappearing jobs…” That’s not true. In 2011, 16.3 million wage and salary workers were re... [More]

The political shenanigans of the Koch Brothers continue to be scrutinized as Democrats and Republicans battle their way to the general election. The billionaire brothers are the subject of a documentary that shows how money and power can influence and corrupt democracy. Charles and David Koch run the Kansas-based Koch Industries with subsidiaries based in manufacturing, trade and investments. Revenues for Koch Industries reach nearly $100 billion a year. It is the second-largest private compa... [More]

The political choices in the 2012 presidential election are clear. Compare the two candidates and the statements they’ve made this week about the election. President Obama tells Rolling Stone Magazine, “I think the general election will be as sharp a contrast between the two parties as we've seen in a generation. We have a Republican Party, and a presumptive Republican nominee who believes in drastically rolling back environmental regulations, radically rolling back collective-barga... [More]