Worker Rights and Consumer Rights

ALEC's Efforts to Limit Worker and Consumer Rights, Privatize Government Services, and Push "Free" Trade Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, global corporations and state politicians are voting behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws. Bills here seek to limit workers rights and drain labor unions of resources for protecting employees, undermine consumer protections, favor the Wall Street financial agenda, limit the ability to cap exhorbitant interest rates on credit cards and big bank fees. The bills and resolutions here also attempt to funnel tax dollars to for-profit corporations through privatization schemes and push the "free trade" agenda that has shipped good-paying American jobs overseas.

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

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Learn MORE about the "Model Bills" ALEC Corporations Are Backing to Rewrite YOUR Rights The Center for Media and Democracy analyzed the bills ALEC politicians and corporations voted for. More analysis is available below and also at ALEC Exposed's sister sites, PRWatch and SourceWatch.

How are corporations undermining workers through these bills? These bills erode the rights of workers in favor of corporate interests by: Limiting union rights-- Pushing union-busting 'right to work' legislation Limiting dues deduction from paycheck, (also here) and Allowing employees to opt-out of union dues but benefit from union negotiations with the employer (also here), and Disallowing limited time for union activities from being negotiated as part of employment contracts, and Dramatically changing pension rights for public employees (from defined benefits to defined contributions) and transferring the management of pension funds into private companies (and also opposing socially responsible investing (LINK) Limiting wages-- Opposes minimum wage laws (LINK) Repeals the prevailing wage paid for government projects, which lowers wage standards, potentially lowers the quality of public works projects, and undermines the competitiveness of potential contractors that have union employees Pushing international agreements that undermine the opportunities of American workers-- Favoring so-called "free trade" agreements that ships good-paying American jobs overseas to developing nations that pay workers subsistence wages (LINK) Uses tax dollars to subsidize for-profit corporations for work traditionally performed by government, such as-- The "Council on Efficient Government Act" that outsources public services and weakens public employee unions, and 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, which reduces the amount paid to workers while adding a profit margin in for corporate executives. And, deterring injured employees from making worker’s compensation claims: For example, giving employers wide access to employees' medical records To see a full list of bills, click here. Some of this Corporate Agenda Has Already Become Law 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. There is no ALEC bill that mirrors Walker's proposal, but the Wisconsin bill does comport with ALEC's sweeping anti-union agenda, which includes decades of support for "Right to Work" and "Paycheck Protection" legislation and other measures to disempower and defund unions. On collective bargaining, ALEC's "Public Employee Freedom Act" declares that "an employee should be able to contract on their own terms" and "mandatory collective bargaining laws violate this freedom." This ALEC bill and the "Public Employer Payroll Deduction Act" prohibit automatic payroll deductions for union dues, a key aspect of the Walker bill. 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.) More Helpful Resources Additional resources on ALEC's corporate agenda: ALEC Funding, PRWatch (2011) American Legislative Exchange Council and other related articles, SourceWatch (2011) Ghostwriting the Law for Corporate America, American Association for Justice (2010) Climate Denial Report on ALEC and Exxon Funding for ALEC, Greenpeace (2011) Governing the Nation from the Statehouses, Progressive States Network (2006) Wolves in Sheep's Clothing, Common Cause (2006) Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law, NPR (2010) Exposing ALEC, blogging group, Daily KOS (2011) ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests In State Legislatures, People for the American Way (2011) Corporate America's Trojan Horse in the States, Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council (2002) The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law, Commonwealth Institute (2003) Wisconsin's Cronon Affair: The Power of a Simple Fact, The Nation Magazine (2011) Ghostwriting the Law, Mother Jones (2002) ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts, Center for American Progress (2011) ALEC Report, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (2011) ALEC Exposed: Business Domination Inc., The Nation Magazine (2011)

How are corporations attacking consumer rights in these bills? These bills restrict the rights of consumers in favor of the big banks, predatory lenders, and other corporate interests by: 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, created by Elizabeth Warren to police Wall Street Opposing Socially Conscious Investments 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 Prohibiting local governments from regulating unfair lending practices in favor of more centralized state control 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. 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 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 this Bill? Authorizing "Car Title Pledges" for Predatory Lenders One "model bill" from ALEC corporations would authorize a form of short-term lending that many states have recognized as unfair and predatory to low-income consumers. Specifically, it authorizes lending companies to give short-term, 30-day renewable loans backed by the borrower's car title, loans which usually have high rates of interest. Consumer groups have opposed this type of lending not only because the high interest rates and short-term repayment period can trap consumers in a cycle of debt, but also because it places a working person in the position of risking their vehicle (an asset usually necessary in order to work and maintain a living). The bill also provides few consumer protections, for example failing to include a private right of action with strong remedies, and requiring that all claims be brought within one year. This provides little deterrence for predatory lenders, and because the budgets and resources of regulatory agencies are often limited, the state cannot adequately crack-down on abusive lenders. The Consumer Federation of America, USPIRG, and the Center for Responsible Lending sent a letter to ALEC opposing this model legislation in November 2005, noting these concerns and referring to many examples of predatory title lending, and also pointing out that title lenders have been generous campaign contributors. "Title Pledge Acts" have become law in states such as Mississippi and Tennessee, and in 2011, Wisconsin rolled-back its ban on the practice (after former Governor Jim Doyle banned the practice only one year prior). Is a local legislator who was elected to represent YOU actually protecting the profits of corporate interests?

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