Unfree Speech: Most Washington Unions Fund Political Campaigns with Compelled Dues

Maxford Nelsen
May 30, 2014

Click here to download the full report.

Two edits have been made to this report since initial publication. First, the nature of PDC data reporting left it unclear how to classify certain contributions to the Washington Education Association PAC. After further investigation, we updated the PAC contribution data to appropriately categorize the contributions in question. Second, the Washington Council of Police and Sheriffs’ (WACOPS) PAC was originally included in the report, but has since been removed. Further investigation determined that WACOPS is not officially a labor union, since it lacks unified dues structure, is not governed by the state Public Employment Relations Commission and is a 501(c)6 organization for IRS purposes.

- Labor
, Washington

Maxford Nelsen

Director of Labor Policy

mnelsen@freedomfoundation.com

Maxford Nelsen is the Freedom Foundation’s Director of Labor Policy. In this capacity, Max regularly testifies on labor issues before local governments and the state legislature. Max’s research has formed the basis of several briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. Max’s work has been published in local newspapers around the country and in national outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, National Review and the American Spectator. His work on labor policy issues has been featured in media outlets like the New York Times, Fox News and PBS News Hour. He is a frequent guest on local radio stations like 770 KTTH and 570 KVI. From 2019-21, Max was a presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel within the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which resolves contract negotiation disputes between federal agencies and labor unions. Prior to joining the Freedom Foundation in 2013, Max worked for WashingtonVotes.org and the Washington Policy Center, and interned with the Heritage Foundation. Max holds a labor relations certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated magna cum laude from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A Washington native, he lives in Olympia with his wife and sons.