by Tula Connell, Mar 2, 2006

Lots more in on the sleazy doings of the purposely misnamed Union Facts group and its extremist head, Richard Berman.

We introduced Berman a couple of weeks ago when he launched his $8 million campaign to attack workers and their unions. We noted how Berman’s guerilla public relations tactics have a long history, including campaigns slamming Mothers Against Drunk Driving in a vicious project on behalf of the alcohol industry and a PR effort to convince pregnant women to eat more white albacore tuna despite warnings of high mercury content. 

Through Berman and Co., the centerpiece of Berman’s anti-worker campaign is a website that purports to show the “facts” on unions, but which offers twisted distortions. For instance, in posting union staff salaries (which already are publicly available from the U.S. Department of Labor), the website does not distinguish between salaries and travel expenses, inflating salaries so that AFL-CIO union field reps who are reimbursed for travel and lodging look like high-paid officials.  

Since our early posts, lots more has come out about Berman, especially through the excellent research of SourceWatch, a project of the Center for Media & Democracy.  On today’s Daily Kos, Ellicat posts a lengthy diary blog detailing Berman’s machinations behind a jumble of nonprofit anti-consumer groups. Ellicat combines a lot of SourceWatch info with other research, and it’s worth a close read to see how slimy slime can get. Part of Berman’s anti-worker campaign includes making a big hoo-hah about the need for transparency in unions—which long have been required to file all their expenses and salaries with the U.S. Department of Labor, making all their financial information already available to the public. But Berman’s not revealing where he’s getting the millions for his latest sleaze campaign, although we understand from our sources the State Chambers of Commerce National Conference is among the funders.Judging by Berman’s latest full-page ads in the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post targeting UNITE HERE President Bruce Raynor, whose unions are launching a massive hotel campaign in California, odds are good the hotel industry is chipping in a wad of cash. 

Got info on the money trail behind Berman? Let us know at: blognews@aflcio.org.    

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