Unions try to derail gas tax petition by spying, exploiting people’s mistakes

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Oregon’s largest union, SEIU, has put out an email alert on the referendum petition drive to stop Kotek’s $4.3 billion gas tax — of which the Taxpayers Association is playing a part.

SEIU implies that this petition effort will imperil your safety.

Then the email encourages its members to use surveillance to see if people are engaging in mistakes in collecting petitions.   This is like asking people to spy on neighbors during the Cold War to report on potential infractions against the government.

The SEIU email also goes on to say:

Notice how they focus on volunteers.

SEIU hopes that any mistake might lead to election complaints, voiding signatures and intimidating volunteers from participating.  Intimidation is key.  SEIU and the politicians not only spent seven months blocking the public from debating the measure in the 2025 Legislature by hiding key bill details and fast-tracking the bill, but Kotek also delayed signing the bill to take away people’s time to sign the petition to stop it.  Now, they wish to block the public by intimidation and voiding signatures through bureaucratic mistakes.

It won’t work.

Furthermore, if the Taxpayers Association of Oregon were to observe a union petition drive and noticed people making innocent mistakes (like people using a pencil to sign a petition for example), we would kindly help them correct their error in real time.  Even though we may disagree with their petition we do not support watching voters have their voice being voided through a correctable mistake.  We believe in direct democracy for everyone — even people we disagree with.

— Please support our watchdog journalism on how your taxes are being spent. Make a donation at  OregonWatchdog.com  (learn about a Charitable Tax Deduction or Political Tax Credit options to promote liberty).