The union line about not spending dues on politics rates right up there with "Your check is in the mail," "I'll still respect you in the morning," and "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
It is true that federal law and some state laws prohibit unions from using dues dollars to make contributions to political campaigns. That's why unions have political action committees (PAC). Contributions to PACs are voluntary. You may have trouble convincing some union members just how "voluntary" they are but that's another story. For information on union PAC contributions click here.
But, there is not much real difference between making a contribution to a political campaign and "spending union dues on politics." For example, during the 2004 presidential primaries many unions had several, in some cases far more than several, staff members in Iowa promoting their favorite candidates. They are full time staff members for the candidates' campaigns. They are highly skilled, highly paid political operatives. Their salaries, benefits and expenses are paid by the unions.
http://www.unionfreeamerica.com/duesforpolitics.htm
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