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?
SPREAD THE WORD. Share information about ALEC through Facebook, e-mail and Twitter. Concerned groups and people in every state need this to investigate how ALEC corporations are rewriting laws for their own advantage. And, please join the conversation on Facebook!
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.
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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:
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:
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.)
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).
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.
