WHEREAS:

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a conservative political organization, classified for tax purposes as a non-profit and composed of  state legislators and corporations that, together, draft model legislation; and

WHEREAS:

            ALEC provides conservative state legislators with pre-approved “model” bills and funding for attacks on collective bargaining and organized labor, voting rights and health care; and WHEREAS:

            ALEC “model” legislation also undermines environmental standards, targets immigrants and in general empowers corporations and weakens democracy; and

WHEREAS:

             ALEC seeks to make public employees scapegoats for the abuses and failures of business and Wall Street firms and attacks our members’ jobs and pensions through “model” legislation on privatizing  public services and replacing  public pensions with defined contribution plans; and

WHEREAS:

            ALEC gets almost 98 percent of its funding from sources other than legislative dues, such as corporations, trade associations, and corporate foundations, raising more than $21 million from corporations and only $250,000 from state legislators’ dues from 2009 – 2011; and

WHEREAS:

            Since its founding over 30 years ago, ALEC has operated under the radar, keeping its enormous influence hidden and its fingerprints off of the policies it promotes; and

WHEREAS:

            Recently, due to its own missteps and the work of groups such as the Center for Media and Democracy, People for the American Way, Common Cause and labor unions, including AFSCME,  ALEC has gotten long-overdue attention from elected officials, the media and citizens concerned about good government.  Corporations are dropping their ALEC memberships and politicians are disavowing ties with ALEC.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            AFSCME opposes ALEC’s role in promoting corporate-funded legislation and will continue to work with other organizations to expose ALEC’s means of operations and the true intent and effect of their legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            AFSCME will work with other organizations to highlight legislators’ ties to ALEC and shed a light on ALEC-sponsored legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            AFSCME will work with other organizations to encourage companies that support ALEC to disavow their membership and end their financial support of this pernicious organization; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

            AFSCME will explore ways to challenge ALEC’s eligibility to qualify as a tax-exempt organization.

SUBMITTED BY:    

Mike Buesing, President and Delegate                                    
Mary Falk, Secretary and Delegate
AFSCME Council 5
Minnesota