San Diego, CA (February 28, 2006) – The following is a statement of Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, in response to AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney’s announcement that the labor conglomerate will spend an “unprecedented” $40 million to influence the 2006 mid-term elections.

“It’s disappointing to learn that the AFL-CIO’s plan for 2006 is ‘more of the same.’ Rather than getting workers to join unions voluntarily, union officials have stepped up their assault on employees’ legal rights to say ‘no’ to unionization.

“The AFL-CIO’s top priority appears to be electing politicians who pledge support for granting union organizers sweeping new coercive privileges under federal law– namely the Kennedy-Miller bill.

“At the same time, the AFL-CIO elite is expected to announce later this week that it will divert significant additional resources into corporate campaigns and other Top Down organizing methods. These abusive tactics involve attacking companies until they agree to hand over their employees into forced unionism through the so-called “card check” method rather than utilizing the traditional, less-abusive election procedure.

“Rather than working to expand their political clout and coercive organizing, union officials should instead clean up the corruption, shun the radical political activism, and turn their energy to improving the product they’re attempting to sell to America’s hardworking men and women.”

To schedule an interview with a Right to Work spokesperson, call Justin Hakes at 703-770-3317.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in more than 250 cases nationwide per year.