Big Labor Millionaires Lead 'Income Equality' Convention

Several of America's wealthiest union bosses spoke at the 2014 Ohio AFL-CIO convention in Cincinnati this week. The event's theme? "Building the movement for income equality."

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten portrayed herself and other AFL-CIO leaders as the voices of the working class, although the AFT paid her $2,022,274 taken from union members and forced "fair share" fee payers between 2010 and 2013.

Weingarten reminded convention attendees of the need for higher taxes and more government spending to create "good jobs" in the public sector, which would also funnel more money to AFT and other public-sector unions.

Weingarten has a very good job: she was paid $543,150 in 2013 alone.

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), urged conventiongoers to make the $40 million union smear campaign against Ohio government union reform bill SB5 a lasting movement.

Because unions successfully overturned SB5, forced AFSCME dues continue their movement from Ohio taxpayers to government workers to Lee Saunders' bank account. Saunders was paid $350,058 in 2013.

If Ohioans had the freedom to choose whether to pay a union, there might be a more pressing need for AFSCME to justify paying Saunders $1,317,166 from 2010-2013.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who was paid $298,542 during the union coalition's 2013 fiscal year, called for more wealth redistribution from job creators.

AFL-CIO paid Trumka $1,177,564 from 2010-2013.

Trumka and Saunders didn't crack the list of Big Labor's top 100 breadwinners in 2013, although they were among the 472 union officers and employees paid more than $250,000.

During the Cincinnati convention, Ohio AFL-CIO announced that president Tim Burga and secretary-treasurer Petee Talley had both been re-elected and would work to build "income equality."

Burga's Ohio AFL-CIO compensation package totaled $184,251 in 2012.

Talley's compensation totaled $180,290 in 2012.

Ohio AFL-CIO did not respond to a Watchdog News inquiry regarding convention speakers' annual pay.