Union makes NY State Senate Democrats return Walmart money

[Renew Deal]

Source: NY Post

State Senate Democrats have bowed to pressure from furious labor leaders and returned a controversial $15,000 campaign contribution they received from Walmart, The Post has learned.

The action came just days after last week's disclosure in The Post that the Democrats had accepted the cash from the union-resisting Arkansas-based retail chain, which is believed to be interested in putting its first city store in Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson's Brooklyn district.

Sampson controls the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.

"I can confirm that the money was returned. That's as far as I'm going to go on it," said Democratic spokesman Eric Blankenbaker.

The July 15 contribution, to the Senate Democrats' little-noticed "housekeeping" account, had been denounced as "blood money" by Retail and Wholesale Workers Union President Stuart Appelbaum and other union activists.

It was also seen by government reformers as further evidence of the Legislature's "pay to play" culture that led Senate Democrats earlier this year to offer labor leaders special "advisory committee chairmanships" for $50,000 a piece.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/dems_find_trouble_in_tore_Qc0lq1lWw8zD9YCWE08dLM

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I hate that this is from the NY Post, but it's pretty much the only source so far.

[Kingofalldems]

1. K and R for the union

[bread_and_roses]

2. ditto (n/t)

[closeupready]

3. The union should lay off. I mean, maybe our state Democrats are just training for US Congress.

:sarcasm: