Worker Rights and Consumer Rights

ALEC's Efforts to Limit Worker's and Consumer's Rights The bills on this page represent ALEC corporations' efforts to keep workers from exercising their rights under law, to drain labor unions of resources, and to limit their political influence. Bills here also attack consumer protection laws, encourage the Banksters who crashed the economy, and support slumlords and predatory lenders. These anti-worker and anti-consumer "model bills" are drafted at American Legislative Exchange Council conventions with input from, and approval by, Big Business, then introduced in state legislatures to erode the rights of working Americans. Politicians are elected to represent the people, not corporations; through ALEC, corporations have both a VOICE and a VOTE on specific state laws. Do you?

READ the "Model Bills" HERE Click here to download a zip file of all Banking, Consumer Rights & Housing bills. Click here to download a zip file of all Property/Auto Insurance & Transportation bills. Click here to download a zip file of all Telecommunications & IT bills. Click here to download a zip file of all Worker's Rights, Trade, Pensions & Privatization bills. To see a full list of bills from this section and download them individually, click here. For descriptions of some of these bills, scroll down or click here.

How YOU Can Expose ALEC & Share What You Learn SPREAD THE WORD. Share this information through FACEBOOK, EMAIL, AND TWITTER. Concerned groups and people in every state need this to investigate how ALEC corporations are rewriting laws for their own advantage. EXPOSE ALEC LEGISLATORS. Demand the truth about which politicians in your state are in ALEC. Uncover whether YOUR tax dollars are paying ALEC "dues." Expose politicians who accept “scholarships” from ALEC's corporate-funded coffers for fancy trips. EXPOSE ALEC'S ROLE IN YOUR STATE HOUSE. Read these corporate-backed "model bills" NOW and cross-check them with bills in your state legislature. Ask your local media to report on what you have found and write your local newspaper. SHARE YOUR DISCOVERIES. Tell us what about what you uncovered! Tweet what you learn with the hashtag #ALECExposed or join the "Community Discussion" or email a confidential tip via tipline AT ALECexposed.org. Act today to help your family, friends, and fellow Americans better understand how global corporations are trying to rewrite your rights.

Join the Conversation! Who Is Behind ALEC? Get the Goods on ALEC's Agenda No id supplied for Twitter account! Corporations & politicians on ALEC's boards Who heads each ALEC "Task Force" Staff & "experts" ALEC funding and spending (here) ALEC connections to David and Charles Koch, the oil billionaires (here) Proposals to change the rules for workers, including unions (here) Industry-specific agendas, like oil companies (here) and the health insurance industry (here)

Learn MORE about the "Model Bills" ALEC Corporations Are Backing to Rewrite YOUR Rights The Center for Media and Democracy has annotated the "model legislation" politicians and corporations voted on, and we will be adding our analysis below and to other publications, such as our sister sites, PRWatch and SourceWatch.

How are corporations attacking worker rights in these bills? These bills aim to erode the rights of workers in favor of Big Business and corporate interests by: (click the link to download the bill) Pushing union-busting 'right to work' legislation Giving employers access to employees' medical records on worker’s compensation claims Weakening the political power of unions through, for example: limiting dues deduction from paychecks, segregating political spending from payroll deductions, or prohibiting payroll dues deductions for public employees Repealing the prevailing wage paid for government projects, which will lower wage standards, undermine the competitive position of union contractors, and damage the quality of public projects. Eliminating defined benefit pension plans for public employees in favor of defined contribution plans, and placing management of those funds in the hands of private sector management. Imposing new burdens on union activities through, for example: requiring secret ballot elections, requiring extensive reporting (also here) and allowing unrepresented members to opt-out of dues payment (also here) Deterring injured employees from making worker’s compensation claims through: “fraud warnings” and giving employers standing to challenge worker's comp claims (also here). Opposing release time for public employee union activities Privatizing government services through: the “Council on Efficient Government Act” that outsources public services and weakens public employee unions. the "Competitive Contracting of Public Services Act" and "Public-Private Fair Competition Act", bills that require agencies to consider whether services can be provided by private entities at lower cost, with consideration driven by economic concerns rather than what is in the public interest. These are but a few of the bills that attack consumer rights. To see a full list of bills in this section and download them individually, click here. Some of this Corporate Agenda Has Already Become Law (PLACEHOLDER)Wisconsin Governor (and ALEC alum) Scott Walker took a cue from the ALEC corporate wish list and introduced a radical bill in February 2011 to cripple public employee unions. Wisconsin Act 10 inspired months of protests and has been subjected to a series of legal challenges. The changes to collective bargaining included X, which closely resembles the "Y Act" from ALEC. It also included Z, a policy put forth in "A Act" from ALEC (PLACEHOLDER). To learn more about this story, click here (PLACEHOLDER) (Have any of these bills been introduced or enacted in YOUR state? If so, please add that information to the ALEC Exposed page on your state by searching for your state's name in the search engine at the top of this page.) Other Helpful Resources Here are links to reports by reporters and advocates that have been challenging the ALEC corporate agenda: (CMD is not affiliated with these other organizations. If you would like to be listed as a resource, please contact us.) The American Legislative Exchange Council, on the Center for Media and Democracy's SourceWatch.org (wiki) and A CMD Special Report: Who Is the League of American Voters?, by the Center for Media and Democracy's PRWatch.org (March 2011) (PLACEHOLDER) Ghostwriting the Law for Corporate America, by the American Association for Justice (May 2010) Corporate America's Trojan Horse in the States: The Untold Story Behind the American Legislative Exchange Council, by the Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council (March 2002) ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests In State Legislatures, by People for the American Way (May 2011) Wisconsin's Cronon Affair: The Power of a Simple Fact, by The Nation (March 2011) Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, by Common Cause (August 2006) Conservative Corporate Advocacy Group ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts' by the Center for American Progress and Campus Progress (March 2011)

How are corporations attacking consumer rights in these bills? These bills restrict the rights of consumers in favor of Banksters, predatory lenders, and other corporate interests by: (click the link to download the bill) Supporting astronomical credit card rates, and opposing efforts to limit Americans’ credit card debt Supporting unfair ATM fees, and opposing restrictions on those charges Opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, a vitally important agency whose necessity became obvious after banksters crashed the U.S. economy Opposing “Socially Conscious Investments” (seriously!) Supporting the “right” of insurance companies to participate in discriminatory and unconstitutional “redlining” (the practice of charging people of color significantly higher insurance rates because they are “riskier”) by rebranding the practice as “territorial rating” Promoting predatory lending through: Authorizing short-term, high-interest loans backed by the borrower’s car title, placing working persons in the position of losing their vehicle (an asset necessary to work and make a living) Prohibiting local governments from regulating unfair lending practices in favor of more centralized state control (a common theme in ALEC bills: local control is desirable when it applies to state’s rights against the federal government, but not when it applies to a community’s rights against the state) Limiting the ability to develop smart transportation policy through a state Constitutional Amendment requiring that revenues from gas taxes and vehicle-related fees be used for highways, rather than investment in less fossil-fuel dependent rail transit or bike lanes. The proposed ALEC Amendment has been adopted in 29 states (eight of which copied the ALEC language verbatim). Attacking housing rights through, for example: Eliminating building and maintenance codes for affordable housing under the guise of “increasing the construction of low-income housing,” but likely paving the way for a regulation-free housing market Privatizing public housing by contracting with private-sector tenant management organizations (1A9) and enacting “right to buy” laws At the height of the housing bubble, encouraging greater housing deregulation in order to promote even more construction, and blaming high housing prices on regulation (rather than speculation) Encouraging pension fund investment in real estate before the housing bubble developed These are but a few of the bills that attack consumer rights. To see a full list of bills in this section and download them individually, click here. Did You Know about these Bills? Limiting Damages for the Loss of Your Child, Spouse, or Parent (PLACEHOLDER)One of the corporate-politician proposals of ALEC would limit the ability of a family to recover for emotional damages due to the death or injury of a loved one. (LINK) This type of legislation basically makes working class or poor people's lives--as well as the elderly--worth less to their families because any damages for pain and suffering due to the death of a child, spouse, or parent would be limited to an amount equal to their loved one's lost earnings and medical expenses. These kind of corporate provisions try to prevent a jury of YOUR peers from awarding you damages for all you have lost or suffered AFTER a jury finds that your loved one's death was the result of corporate negligence, misconduct, or greed. Is a local legislator who was elected to represent YOU actually protecting the profits of global corporate wrongdoers through such legislation instead of YOU and YOUR FAMILY?

ALEC Exposed is a project of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD). CMD does NOT accept donations from for-profit corporations or government agencies. More information about CMD is available here. You can reach the publisher of ALEC Exposed, CMD's Executive Director, Lisa Graves, via editor AT ALECexposed.org.

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