PAC-KING A PUNCH: Labor consistently ranks as one of the largest contributors to Washington politicians every year. An analysis of OpenSecrets.org data by Mother Jones last year found that 159 House members counted the labor sector as their top campaign backer -- the same number as counted the finance, insurance and real estate sector as their top contributor. (Just two of the 100 senators, meanwhile, counted labor as their No. 1 supporter.)

Labor unions such as the AFL-CIO and Teamsters Union form political action committees in hopes of influencing congressmen and their policies by contributing to their campaigns.

So far in the current election cycle, for example, the PAC of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has contributed more to candidates than any other group, edging out telecomm giant AT&T's PAC, having doled out $826,200 -- and counting -- to federal candidates.

At the same time, the relative importance of labor PACs to Democratic lawmakers has declined, as OpenSecrets Blog has previously reported.

During the 2010 election cycle, business PACs donated about $334 million to federal candidates, with about half of that money benefiting Democrats and half benefiting Republicans, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. Meanwhile, labor PACs contributed $69 million -- or about one-fifth of the sum as business PACs. About 93 percent of the money that labor union PACs gave to candidates benefited Democrats.

So far this year, business PACs have already contributed about $48 million to federal candidates, with 62 percent of those funds aiding Republicans, the Center's research shows. And labor PACs have donated $7.5 million -- with 85 percent of that money benefiting Democrats.

Many labor unions rank among the top "Heavy Hitters" tracked by OpenSecrets.org, thanks, in part, to the large sums of "soft money" unions have contributed over the years.

moneystack.jpgLABOR LOBBYING: Labor unions are regularly out-spent by other sectors when it comes to lobbying the federal government. While the interests within the health and finance sectors have each spent more than $4.6 billion on federal lobbying since 1998, labor unions have spent just 10 percent of that sum. According to research by the Center for Responsive Politics, labor unions have spent $467 million on lobbying since 1998.

Since President Barack Obama took office, labor unions have spent $116 million on lobbying -- ranking them at, or near, the bottom of the list among all sectors, according to the Center's research. During the first half of 2011, labor unions hired 350 lobbyists, according to the Center's research. Last year, they hired 435 lobbyists.

Within the labor sector, public sector unions invest the most money on federal lobbying.

Between January 2009 and June 2011, public sector unions spent $35.6 million on lobbying, according to the Center's research. Transportation unions, meanwhile, spent $28.6 million. Industrial unions spent $21.6 million on lobbying, and building trade unions spent $9.6 million on lobbying, according to the Center's research.

The graph below details this spending quarter-by-quarter.
LABOR'S OUTSIDE SPENDING: On top of the millions of dollars the labor sector spends persuading politicians through lobbying and campaign contributions, there are the millions of dollars it spends persuading voters like you. Labor unions often flood the radio, television and mailboxes with their messages in hopes of swaying public opinion.

According to research by the Center for Responsive Politics, during the 2010 election cycle labor unions sunk $26.1 million into election-related advertising campaigns -- legally known as independent expenditures and electioneering communications. This is about one-quarter of all outside spending, by all non-party committee groups.

Public sector unions specifically ranked as the No. 1 industry supporter of outside spending groups, according to the Center's research, investing $10.2 million in such activities.

The conservative super PAC American Crossroads alone, by contrast, raised $28 million and spent more than $21 million, according to the Center's research. That's about as much all unions invested in electioneering communications and independent expenditures reported to the Federal Election Commission -- or about twice as much as public sector unions alone spent on these activities.

Since the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court last January, unions and corporations have been free to use their general treasuries to fund political advertisements that expressly advocate for or against federal candidates. Independent organizations are also free to collect unlimited sums of money from unions and corporations to fund both issue ads and express advocacy ads.

SEIU.jpgSo far during the 2012 election cycle, labor unions have accounted for about 10 percent of all outside spending, or about $2.3 million, according to the Center's research. Interests associated with securities and investment firms, meanwhile, have already invested $5.8 million.

Furthermore, many top-tier liberal super PACs are relying on union support for funding, as OpenSecrets Blog previously reported. Majority PAC, for instance, has collected about 52 percent of its funding to-date from unions, and House Majority PAC raised more than 20 percent of its money from the Service Employees International Union alone.

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/assets_c/2011/09/UnionLobbying-6285.html