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The Liberal Sweatshop
Michael Kleinfeld, UPI / Landov
The Fund for the Public Interest raises money for all kinds of liberal causes, but a lawsuit has forced it to pay millions of dollars in overtime to its legions of idealistic door-knockers.
The nation’s largest fundraiser for progressive causes issued checks to thousands of former workers in the last several weeks after settling a $2.15 million class-action suit alleging it subjected workers to grueling hours without overtime pay.
The nonprofit Fund for Public Interest Inc. was set up in 1982 as the fundraising arm of the network of Public Interest Research Groups, which was founded by Ralph Nader. It deploys legions of door-to-door and street canvassers—and once counted a young Barack Obama as one of its New York City organizers—to solicit contributions for the Human Rights Campaign, the Sierra Club, Environment America, and other groups that together spend millions of dollars each year lobbying Congress.
"They’re the Wal-Mart of nonprofits in every way imaginable. They basically look at the next generation of social change as the next source of cheap labor."
Those organizations often battle with deep-pocketed corporations; the money raised by canvassers is an important source of funds. In many cases, however, the employees collecting those donations made an hourly rate that worked out to less than minimum wage.
The abrupt shuttering of its Los Angeles office after employees took steps to unionize also brought allegations of illegal union-busting from many, including Christian Miller, an L.A. employee from 2002 to 2006 who filed the suit on behalf of 12,000 canvassers and directors.
The Fund reported collecting $25 million in contributions in 2007—the most recent year for which data is publicly available. The fundraising done by the canvassers makes up the bulk of that money. Indeed, the Fund’s Web site touts the work done by its youthful employees: "If you ask anyone who’s canvassed for the Fund in the last 25 years, they’ll probably give you a thoughtful dissertation on the value of canvassing."
That's probably an understatement. Former canvassers, often college-educated progressives attracted to the Fund for the chance to do good, are all too sensitive to the irony of the situation.
"They're the Wal-Mart of nonprofits in every way imaginable," Miller said. "They basically look at the next generation of social change as the next source of cheap labor."
The Fund did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The idea that their work supported causes they believed in pushed some canvassers to tolerate the often-difficult working conditions. Other would-be world changers had little in the way of real-world experience and assumed all workplaces were run like the Fund.
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I worked for this Fund for the Public Interest for two days in Seattle. A waste-of-time two hour orientation (where the organization changed even between the two days) starting at 10:00, then "canvassing" for 10 hours in a neighborhood, then another hour working out money back at the office, being harassed about the low take. I suspect that the reason most people quit was why I did, there is hardly any talk of anything but money raised, except for at the orientation, where the most bare-bones description of the organization and issue we're supposed to be raising money for is given. A better use of your liberal leanings would be going to a local government meeting or joining the ACLU.
Go to a local government meeting and try to make real improvements by working with other people. That means not choosing a side and going to war because winning is all that counts.
My son worked his ass off for WASPIRG in Seattle for about
10 months in the early 1990s. Every word of this article is true, but it doesn't express the effort and hard work put in by the Canvassers. It was a daily battle to get transportation money or a car. The driver was expected to pay for the gas. The wages were low to begin with, and the hours were horrendous.
Management sucked. They had no concept of how to use the very real talents of the Canvassers who stayed for a while. Blacks were sent into wealthy, but also prejudiced, neighborhoods. Well educated employees got the Working Class neighborhoods etc. No effort to match the Canvasser to the demographics - which might have led to higher donations.
Matt quit after trying to organize a Union [He contacted the radical IWW out of Portland]. He became Persona non Gratis in one hell of a hurry. Oh, and most of the bosses were females right out of College who blamed any conflicts on sexism.
I have never donated to a 'PIRG' since, and have trouble supporting Nader because of his association with this really lousy situation. He may be hell on wheels, or not on wheels , for the environment etc. but he sure flunked Worker's Rights!
Speaking of Nader, whom I have given a 'protest' vote a couple of times, I had an epiphany recently as I drove into town. I was passed by one of the new phony Volkswagons, the Bug with all the comforts of home... And it hit me!
It was Ralph Nader who took all the fun out of cruisin' the highways and byways. Now we have to use a seat belt, and pass emission tests, and can't have a beer... All those horrible dangerous behaviors I survived growing up.
All to the good, I know. And a necessary improvements, each and every one. But, who wants to vote for the Party Pooper?
Great comment!
I have heard occasional comments on how Nader treats his employees and wondered how he got away with it for so long. Congrats to those who stuck it to him.What a phony he is. I would really like top hear his thoughts on this. Daily Beast...get on it.
I got suckered into working for this peice of crap organization, they went under the name Progressive Future, its the same sweat shop the same people, they screwed everybody from Sr. Staff to college kids, and left everyone broke. If anybodys interested I could shine a light on why their non-profit status is a hoax that has gotten away with fraud, mistreatment of employees, and flat out corruption. They make their employees pan-handle for their wages, its sick, sick.
Thank you.
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