"We're disappointed it wasn't eliminated"

The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance released the following statement today in response to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance’s (OCPF) regulations that goes into effect on May 31, 2019. The finalized regulation lowers the union loophole from $15,000 to $1,000.

“MassFiscal has been fighting to eliminate the union loophole since 2013. We are pleased to see it reduced but disappointed it wasn’t eliminated altogether,” stated Paul D. Craney, spokesperson for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“For the first time in a generation, union bosses will not have the loudest voice over everyone else. However, they still benefit by having the only voice when compared to employers,” continued Craney.

 “If it weren't for the efforts of MassFiscal, the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit which is still pending at the US Supreme Court, and the countless voices from the employer community that spoke up about this injustice, union bosses would still be able to exploit the union loophole for many more elections. The practical reality is that OCPF’s regulation makes it much harder for union bosses to buy an election, but it continues to treat employers and union bosses unequally,” concluded Craney. 

FURTHER BACKGROUND

Two separate companies, owned by members of MassFiscal, have sued on the matter and are currently petitioning the US Supreme Court. MassFiscal’s sister organization, the Fiscal Alliance Foundation, filed an amicus with the US Supreme Court that may be found here. The petition with the Supreme Court is ongoing.