'State of Unions' Video Shows Cash Flowing to Government Workers

A new video from a Florida activist group traces the flow of cash from public-sector unions to political candidates and back to government employees' pockets and dues.

This video highlights not only the massive influence unions have on politicians, but the inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars to fund union membership and activities, said Blaise Ingoglia, founder of Government Gone Wild.

Unions used to play an important role in protecting American workers -- but today, more than half of all union members in this country are government employees," said Ingoglia, a Hernando County resident who is vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Using data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the video shows:

• Over the last 22 years unions have given more money to candidates and political parties than Wall Street investment banks, the oil and gas industry, the defense industry, pharmaceutical manufacturers, airlines, auto manufacturers and the savings and loan industry combined.
• Of these contributions, 92 percent went to the Democratic Party.
• Average state and local government salaries are now 29 percent higher, and the average federal government salary is 50 percent higher than the private sector.

American taxpayers are being forced to subsidize a colossal special-interest group -- unions, said Ingoglia. Its time to get the union bosses hands out of taxpayers wallets and let the unions fund their own activities."

"State of the Unions" is the latest in a series of nine Government Gone Wild videos that have garnered more than 6.5 million views on YouTube since they began posting 15 months ago.