Yet another local unit of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) must pay fines for campaign-disclosure omissions, and this time around it is SEIU 925. This week, a Thurston County Superior Court Judge approved a settlement after Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office argued the union had “failed to report cash and in-kind contributions made from its treasury to its political committee.”
According to Ferguson’s office, SEIU 925’s committee “reported receiving the cash but not the in-kind contributions such as union staff time.” The News Tribune,
“Child-care workers’ union SEIU 925 agreed to pay $31,715 and its political committee to pay another $4,500, Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office said. Another $6,948 for the union and $1,500 for the committee will be suspended as long as the groups comply in the future.”
Last week, state officials found that SEIU 775 violated campaign finance reporting laws and handed down a fine of $39,000. SEIU 775 attempted to hide its election activities from the people who pay for them through forced union dues and from the public as well.
SEIU 775 PAC will also “pay a $6,000 fine, with $1,500 of that suspended as long as it updates its reports and complies with reporting requirements.”
It appears that, at long last, union bosses are beginning to be held accountable for their actions. Unfortunately, it seems that too often fines for breaking the law are just a cost of doing (dirty) business for them.
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