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Fall | 2015
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the unions have already filed five measures to increase
corporate taxes and two to increase taxes on high wage
earners. There are also four measures to increase the
minimum wage, some of which would allow cities to
increase it even more. In total, 68 measures have been
filed to date. OTA is party to three measures that would
repeal or severely restrict the Low Carbon Fuel Standard.
While not all of these measures will actually make the
ballot, it is expected that there will be measures to
raise corporate and personal income taxes on high
wage earners. Unless the Legislature increases the
minimum wage during the 2016 short session, a
minimum wage measure will also appear on the ballot
in November of 2016. For those measures that make
the ballot, millions will be spent either promoting
them or fighting them.
You might be wondering why we don’t go on the
offensive and qualify ballot measures that would
reduce the power of the unions. Right or wrong, the
conventional wisdom is that if we put things on the
ballot that are perceived to be anti-union, it simply
gives them an opportunity to rally their members and
raise even more cash. Fighting union propaganda is a
costly endeavor and one which is difficult to get our
donors to support simply because the results are so
uncertain. OTA will not carelessly gamble with the
hard earned dollars that our generous donors entrust
us with. We contribute to ballot measure campaigns
that we believe have a reasonable chance of winning.
The next question is, where does OTA fit into the
campaign finance picture? For example, the Associated
General Contractors (AGC) spent in excess of $400,000
during the 2014 election cycle, according to the
Secretary of State’s records. The Associated Oregon
Industries PAC spent north of $700,000. In comparison,
OTA spent $75,000 during the 2014 election cycle.
Currently, our Truck PAC balance is just under $36,000.
In the current market, a reasonable contribution for an
Oregon House member is $1,000 and $2,000 for a
Senator. If we made contributions in every race, which
we haven’t historically done, our expenditures would
total more than $90,000. Given the political make-up
of the Oregon legislature, influencing placement in
leadership positions will require even more to be
competitive. This amount does not include ballot
measures, which no matter how you look at it, are
going to need some level of financial commitment
from the trucking industry. As if this weren’t enough,
all three statewide positions are up for election in 2016.
Certainly, the campaign finance challenge we face
this next election cycle is daunting, to say the least.
We recognize that it will take time to build your trust
and your investment in Truck PAC and the efforts it
funds. Your Truck PAC Committee has met and set a
goal of raising $100,000 this cycle, with more in future
election cycles. We believe that with this amount we
can make strategic investments that will allow us to
continue to represent you well in Salem and exert
more influence over the campaign process.
So, please, the next time Jana or I ask you to contribute
to Truck PAC, you can be assured it’s not because we
like to spend your money! We cannot effectively
represent you unless we succeed in helping elect those
that support our industry, as well as participating in
the ballot measure campaigns that will impact the
industry. Please, send your check to Truck PAC today.
We promise to spend it wisely. The future of your
business and our state depends on it.
◉
“For those measures that make the ballot,
millions will be spent
either promoting them or fighting them.”
“OTA will
not carelessly gamble with the hard earned dollars that our
generous donors entrust us with.
We contribute to ballot measure
campaigns that we believe have a reasonable chance of winning.”