Myths and Facts:
Correcting Rep. Holvey's false statements
More to come! Check this space for updates!
Holvey is being targeted by a special interest group and its lobbyist.
When a politician is opposed by a large group of voters, it's typically in that politician's interest to minimize the breadth of their opposition and simply refer to them in the narrowest terms possible. That's why Rep. Holvey is fond of stating:
"This recall effort was launched by one special interest group and their lobbyist." (on www.paulholvey.com)
The recall was started and funded by a member-led union.
The "special interest group" Holvey is referring to is a labor union. We are disappointed that the chair of the House Labor Committee sees labor unions as "special interest groups."
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The major donor to the recall effort, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, represents 30,000 private and public sector workers in grocery, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, food processing, and other industries. Most of those members were essential, front-line workers throughout the COVID pandemic, so Rep. Holvey's unwillingness to work through issues like essential worker assistance (LC 157 for 2022, which never received a bill number or official record) hit them particularly hard.
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UFCW Local 555 is governed by a democratically elected Executive Board made up of member workers, like those whom you might see working at your local grocery store. Its lobbyist and political team carry out those decisions, such as this Recall.
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A more accurate statement would be: "This recall effort was launched by a 30,000 member-led union whose members had specific concerns about Rep. Holvey's performance, and is being run by that union's political staff." ... But that doesn't sound nearly as forgiving.
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