Unions give to NDP, but are amenable to donation ban
Large unions account for more than 30% of contributions from 2005-15
Similar to big corporate donors to the B.C. Liberals, big unions are major contributors to the B.C. NDP.
Unions that rank among the Top 50 donors to the NDP gave $12.79 million between 2005 and 2015, accounting for more than 30 percent of the NDP’s total contributions of $42 million, which highlights the concentration and potential influence of the top donors, according to a Postmedia examination.
Experts say these donations can influence government decisions, including on policy.
However, the big unions such as the B.C. Government Employees and Service Union, United Steelworkers and Canadian Union of Public Employees say they favour banning union and corporate donations and capping individual donations — all changes advocated by the NDP heading into an election this May. Why do unions favour the ban? Removing union and corporate donations would level the playing field because the Liberals have a greater advantage in raising big corporate donations, experts note.
In total, the Liberals raised nearly $80 million from corporations, unincorporated businesses and business associations between 2005 and 2015.
The total the NDP raised from unions is just under $14 million.
From individuals, the NDP raised $23.25 million, while the Liberals raised $27.24 million.
“Imposing a limit and getting rid of the corporate donations would level the playing field in terms of the fundraising,” Queen’s University political economist Christopher Cotton said.
The greater parity with the B.C. Liberals from individual donors also underscores why the unions are not opposed to the ban on union and corporate donations and a cap on individual donations.
United Steelworkers western director Steve Hunt said the union simply can’t compete with the big corporate donors such as Teck, which has given $2.8 million to the B.C. Liberals since 2005.
“If we put restrictions on it that exist in other provinces and federally, we could live with it quite readily,” Hunt said. “We could put our funds to use in a much, much better way.”
The United Steelworkers, in the No. 2 spot, have given $1.67 million to the NDP since 2005.
The No. 1, the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union, gave $2.18 million.
Big union donors also include the Canadian Union of Public Employees ($1.61 million), the B.C. Federation of Labour ($1.44 million) and the Hospital Employees’ Union ($1.18 million).
The top three union donors to the NDP represent more than 190,000 workers in British Columbia, including those who work in sawmills and mines, schools and provincial government jobs.
“The (individual) cap is key because you can see the cheques that Christy Clark’s rich friends are writing,” CUPE B.C. president Paul Faoro said. “Everyday CUPE members aren’t writing $100,000 cheques.”
Dozens of individuals have cut cheques to the B.C. Liberals of $50,000 or more since 2005. More than one dozen individuals wrote cheques of $100,000 or more since 2005, shows the Postmedia analysis. Five of those were written in 2016.
There have been only a handful of large individual donations to the NDP — two of $50,000 or more.
Unlike the B.C. Liberals, for which all donors in the Top 50 were companies or top individuals in business, the B.C. NDP also received money from other donor types. Those included $930,000 from companies and $2.1 million from the estates of deceased people. No unions made the Top 50 donors for the Liberals, and the top three union donors to the NDP made no contributions to the Liberals.
Postmedia used political contribution data from B.C. Elections to compile the Top 50 donor list for the NDP.
Multiple donations from the same unions, individuals or companies were consolidated. Postmedia also amalgamated donations that came from different union locals or union executives to compile a single donation figure.
For example, for the United Steelworkers, there were more than two dozen locals and umbrella union organizations. Union executives, including Hunt, also gave money in the thousands of dollars.
The concentration of big donors, experts say, is an important consideration in the debate over whether corporate and unions donations should be banned and individual donations capped as in the other most-populated provinces — including Ontario, Quebec and Alberta — and also federally, under the premise that money buys influence in politics.
The B.C. Liberals have balked at bans on union and corporate donations and caps on individual donations, saying they believe British Columbians are well served by a system in which political parties are funded by “individuals” and “others” who share their values and goals — with strict campaign spending limits and full disclosure of donations.
As with companies, unions say they’re not looking for any particular benefit or favour should the NDP win. Instead, they say they simply support the party that best reflects their social and economic philosophy. However, similar to companies, unions lobby for specific goals, including employment standards, workplace safety, apprenticeship training, pay equity and an increased minimum wage, according to records filed with the B.C. Lobbyist Registry.
BCGEU president Stephanie Smith noted traditionally the NDP have supported positions the union supports, including higher minimum wages, affordable child care, publicly-funded housing, protections for the environment and enhanced senior’s care.
“We do believe the NDP government will be better for all working British Columbians, and by reflec- tions that is going to have a positive impact on our communities and means a positive impact on our membership,” she said.
The (individual) cap is key because you can see the cheques that Christy Clark’s rich friends are writing. Everyday CUPE members aren’t writing $100,000 cheques. PAU L FAORO