Union Cuts Ties United Negro College Fund Over Koch Link

One of the country’s biggest labor unions is ending its support for the United Negro College Fund over the education charity’s relationship with conservative donors Charles and David Koch, the Associated Press and The Huffington Post report.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Thursday that it will no longer partner with or raise funds for the college fund, with which the union has teamed for 11 years on a scholarship program. The charity accepted a $25-million gift last month from Koch Industries and the Charles Koch Foundation, and the college fund president, Michael Lomax, subsequently spoke at a Koch-sponsored event in California.

The billionaire brothers’ network of politically active nonprofits has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars from undisclosed donors to conservative and small-government causes. Union President Lee Saunders said the college fund’s alliance with the Kochs is “not only deeply hostile to the rights and dignity of public employees, but also a profound betrayal of the ideals of the civil rights movement.”

Mr. Lomax said he was “saddened by AFSCME’s decision, [but] it will not distract us from our mission of helping thousands of African American students achieve their dream of a college degree and the economic benefits that come with it.”