Why Would a Midwest Union Local Support Two Generally Anti-Union Republicans in Governors' Races? -- Part II

(Before reading Part II, we highly recommend reading Part I of "Why Would a Midwest Union Local Support Two Generally Anti-Union Republicans in Governors' Races?")

Bill Dugan is in the midst of battling a lawsuit that charges him with running what might be called a "president's discretionary fund," to which approximately 120 employees of Local 150 have allegedly had to contribute $100 a month. Dugan denies any improprieties and says that the money has been fully accounted for over the years, but in a March ruling, a judge ruled that the lawsuit had enough merit to proceed, although no judgment has yet been rendered.

He is also fighting off a challenge by the Local’s treasurer, Joe Ward, who is running as head of a slate to replace Dugan. Charges and lawsuits are flying back and forth -- including two lawsuits by Dugan supporters filed against Ward -- between the two camps. The issue of the legality and status of the "discretionary fund" will be decided in court -- and the Ward lawsuits -- but other charges will be left for the union members to sort out as they vote in the leadership election later this year.

But there are some indicators that might help to formulate theories as to why Bill Dugan directs Local 150 PAC money to Republican candidates with less than stellar labor voting records, particularly at the top of the Illinois and Indiana state tickets.

One of the possible indicators is that a man named Todd Vandermyde is employed full-time as a "business representative" at Local 150. According to a form that the union must file to comply with federal labor laws, Vandermyde received $123,156 in gross salary disbursements in fiscal year 2006 from Local 150 for his full-time services. On the form, it declares that Vandermyde spends less than 1% of his time on political and lobbying activities for the union.

Oddly, we put Todd Vandermyde’s name in Google on April 9 and looked through the first ten pages of results. Not one of the articles or websites in the first 10 pages that we looked at mentioned Vandermyde in relation to any union work or labor advocacy. Every article either mentioned Vandermyde’s activities as a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, his work for the Illinois State Rifle Association, or his lobbying on behalf of a motorcycle riders’ association known as A.B.A.T.E. (which is best known for its efforts to overturn mandatory motorcycle helmet laws.)

If he is the Illinois lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and even listed as working on behalf of the National Rifle Association on sites, how does that impact on his work as a full-time employee of Local 150?

Indeed, in Illinois, lobbyists and companies or organizations who lobby must file publicly accessible forms with the state. A review of the lobbying disclosure forms shows that Vandermyde owns a company called DTV & Associates in Yorkville, Illinois, of which he is the sole employee. The National Rifle Association - Institute for Legislative Action , A.B.A.T.E., and Local 150 list DTV & Associates (Vandermyde) as a lobbyist for them.

To most people around the Illinois State Capitol, Vandermyde has been widely known as the tenacious and omnipresent lobbyist for the NRA, and -- to a lesser degree -- for A.B.A.T.E. He is the subject of regular media coverage in Illinois for his lobbying on behalf of the NRA, including this article from the Chicago Tribune.

And although we can assume that Vandermyde spends some of his time lobbying and testifying on behalf of the the issues of Local 150, his Department of Labor LM-2 form indicates -- as we have noted -- that lobbying for Local 150 represents only 1% of his work for the union.

Interestingly, Vandermyde even advocates for Illinois gun manufacturers who are not unionized -- including Springfield Armory and Armalite. Many of the key parts for a variety of Springfield Armory guns are not even made in the United States, but are imported from nations such as Brazil.

In all fairness, it’s up to the members of Local 150 to sort this out, because we can’t. We just can come up with a lot of questions that beg for answers. Dugan, for the record, disputes charges against him as sour grapes by the opposition slate in the upcoming election. His responses can be found on his Local 150 campaign website.

But we sure do smell a lot of gun smoke.

Don’t you?

We do know that Bill Dugan owns a buffalo (bison) ranch, tavern and gun shop (which is a federally licensed firearms dealer: see list of Maryland Licensed Firearms Dealers by scrolling down this link and finding Dugan's) in Hancock, Maryland.

We do know that Bill Dugan was found by a Chicago paper to be one of 18 individuals who was issued a "Marshal’s" badge to allow him to carry a concealed handgun in Illinois (where citizens cannot carry concealed guns). Dugan received his "Marshal’s" license under questionable circumstances -- a 2002 article from the Chicago Sun-Times claims Marshals received badges and the right to carry handguns in return for campaign contributions -- from a south suburban Chicago mayor whose town is more than 20 miles from Dugan’s Illinois Northwest suburban home, when he is in Illinois.

We do know that Bill Dugan is, by all accounts, an avid supporter of the NRA.

Some of the members of Local 150, even if they are gun owners, have been asking if Dugan is choosing key Republican candidates based on their positions in support of the NRA. We can’t answer that. Dugan has told Local 150 members that is not the case and he is just carrying out a strategic, bi-partisan plan. Perhaps he is. Perhaps he isn't.

Unions play a vital role in the security and well-being of working men and women. Over the years of Republican rule – along with the outsourcing of labor overseas – unions have been weakened.

Maybe Bill Dugan's is right in arguing that his opponents are making claims without merit. But on the other hand, maybe they do have merit, as his opponents contend -- and we can’t afford to have unions threatened by a lack of transparency, concentration of power, and ossification. The Republicans, in general, have taken a wrecking ball to the unions, and there is little margin for error in resurecting the movement.

Only then can we begin to see a union renaissance that benefits working men and women in America.

Note: This two-part BuzzFlash news analysis was written with the input of advocates for laws that benefit unions, for opposing the politics of David Duke, and for reducing gun violence.

(Some of the source material for this BuzzFlash analysis came from the following websites.)

Website for Local 150 Union Members challenging Bill Dugan:

http://www.150election.com/welcome.htm

Website for "This is Still Bill Dugan Country," his Local 150 campaign website:

http://www.150united.com/index.php

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS -- Part II