[ Report Home | Previous Page | Next Page ] Texas PACs 2000 Election Cycle C. Labor PACs

Some 82 Labor PACs spent $2.7 million, up 20 percent from 1998. Public Safety PACs led this sector, with 36 of them spending a total of $959,264. Twenty-seven police PACs accounted for 65 percent of this spending; nine firefighter PACs spent the rest.

Public White-Collar PACs were the next largest Labor sector, with 16 of these PACs spending $895,902. Teacher PACs dominated this sector, accounting for 91 percent of this spending.  As discussed in the Major Ideological section, teachers have so far won their battle against vouchers, which would allow public funds to be spent on private schools.²⁶

Twenty-seven Blue Collar PACs spent $577,542. Ten transportation union PACs dominated this sector by spending $396,210. Dallas Teamsters Local No. 745 accounted for more than half of all transportation PAC spending, followed by the United Transportation Union and the Houston Dock & Marine Council. Seventeen industrial unions spent $181,332, led by Houston Plumbers Local No. 68.

Finally, three Multi-Sector Labor PACs spent $273,740, dominated by the AFL-CIO State COPE Fund ($187,424) and its Harris County affiliate ($85,066). The State Cope Fund received large checks from state and federal union PACs, including at least $60,000 from the national AFL-CIO’s PAC. The top recipients of this money were David Cain and David Fisher, the Democratic Senate candidates in the state’s two most expensive legislative races. This PAC also spent heavily on get-out-the-vote efforts in East Texas.