Edwards Partners With ACORN In Minimum Wage Battle: Group Fought Pay-Raise For Own Employees

ACORN has long history of hypocrisy and voter fraud
  • Publication Date: July 2006

  • Topics: Minimum Wage

Washington DC – John Edwards is teaming up with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to promote a minimum wage hike for Arizona, but does Edwards know that ACORN once sued the state of California to exempt itself from paying its own employees the minimum wage? This stunning hypocrisy is just the beginning of a lengthy history of duplicity, fraud, and illegalities committed by ACORN—all of which are detailed in a report released this week by the Employment Policies Institute that is available at www.RottenACORN.com.

ACORN and Minimum Wage Hypocrisy – ACORN is a vocal proponent of minimum wage hikes—except when they apply to its own organization. ACORN actually sued the state of California to have its employees exempted from the state minimum wage. The group argued that if it were forced to pay higher wages, it would also have to hire fewer employees—the very dilemma faced by businesses.

Not only does ACORN fail to pay its employees the “living wage” it advocates, but ACORN’s episodes of refusing to pay its employees in a timely manner and of failing to pay overtime has led to demonstrations and lawsuits against the group.

ACORN and Voter Registration Fraud – ACORN has been linked to voter fraud in at least 12 states. In New Mexico, for example, four ACORN employees submitted as many as 3,000 potentially fraudulent signatures on the group’s Albuquerque ballot initiative. A local sheriff added: “It’s safe to say the forgery was widespread.” An ACORN employee also registered a 13-year-old boy to vote without the parent’s—or even the child’s—knowledge. Citing this and other examples, New Mexico State Representative Joe Thompson stated that ACORN was “manufacturing voters” throughout New Mexico.

“ACORN’s extensive ties to voter fraud as well as the astonishing hypocrisy of not paying its own employees a living wage should make Edwards reconsider his close relationship with the group,” said Mike Flynn, director of legislative affairs for EPI. “Our report reveals the corruption and hypocrisy that is behind the real ACORN.”

For more on ACORN’s ties to voter fraud and wage hypocrisy, as well as details on their history of union-busting, and federal grant violations, go to www.RottenACORN.com