Labor unions boost campaign contributions in N.C.

The Charlotte Observer reports: "Labor unions trying to shape the nation's health care debate have poured millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of N.C. congressional lawmakers in recent years. Since 2003, unions have spent $3.4 million to elect allies from the Tar Heel state to the U.S. House and Senate. Nearly all of it has gone to Democrats. North Carolina, a right-to-work state, has the second-lowest union representation and the lowest union membership rate in the nation, according to the U.S. Labor Department."

"But key voting blocs, including state workers and many service workers, are represented by labor groups such as the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU. Labor groups have organized rallies, town hall meetings, phone banks and advertising in support of a health care overhaul" (Barrett, 8/21).

www.kaiserhealthnews.org/