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United States Chamber of Commerce

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United States Chamber of Commerce
Founded1912
FounderCharles Nagel
TypeAdvocacy group
FocusBusiness advocacy
Location
Area served
United States United States industry
MethodMedia attention, direct-appeal campaigns
Political lobbying
Key people
Tom J. Donohue President
WebsiteU.S. Chamber of Commerce Official Website

The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the world's largest not-for-profit lobbying group, representing many businesses and associations across the United States of America. It is not an agency of the United States government.

The Chamber is staffed with policy specialists, lobbyists and lawyers. It is known for spending more money than any other lobbying organization on a yearly basis.[1][2]

Mission statement

"To advance human progress through an economic, political and social system based on individual freedom, incentive, initiative, opportunity, and responsibility."

Board of directors

The Senior council:

  • Tom J. Donohue, President and CEO
  • Robert S. Milligan, Chairman of the Board of Directors [3] and chairman of M.I. Industries
  • Thomas D. Bell Jr., Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors [4] and Chairman and CEO, Cousins Properties Incorporated
  • Donald J. Shepard, Immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee [5] and CEO of AEGON
  • Paul S. Speranza, Past Chair [6] and vice chairman, general counsel, and secretary of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
  • Gerald L. Shaheen, Past Chair [7] and group President of Caterpillar Inc.
  • Maura W. Donahue, Past Chair [8]and president of DonahueFavret Contractors Holding Company
  • John W. Bachmann, Past Chairman [9] and Senior Partner at Edward Jones Edward Jones Investments

The board of directors is composed of more than 100 senior executives, mostly from large companies, including Alcoa, Dow Chemical, Charles Schwab, AT&T, and Pfizer and of a few smaller firms. In contrast, the Chamber claims that 96% of its members are small businesses.[10]

History

Chamber of Commerce Building in New York

The idea of a national institution to represent the unified interests of U.S. businesses first took shape during the 1890s, when the United States government began actively promoting American business efforts, especially in the area of foreign trade. By the late 1890s, officials with the United States Department of State were urging state business organizations to consider forming a national council to lend their expertise to congressional matters and advise the legislature on how best to meet the needs of American commerce. When the Department of Commerce and Labor was established in 1903, its leaders and supporters expected that it would help usher in an era of "diligent cooperation" between business and government. Commerce and Labor Secretary Oscar Straus organized a conference of business leaders in December 1907 that led to the formation of the National Council of Commerce—a smaller, short-lived forerunner to the Chamber—the following year.

While the Council expired after less than two years, Straus' successor, Charles Nagel, continued to urge state-level business groups to create a national organization that would work closely with the federal government in the pursuit of mutual interests. Nagel urged President William Howard Taft to support the creation of such a body, arguing that such a group would contribute to the "wholesome development of commerce, domestic and foreign" and would "restore confidence" and "excite enthusiasm." In his annual message to Congress on December 7, 1911, Taft obliged, calling for a "central organization in touch with associations and chambers of commerce throughout the country and able to keep purely American interests in a closer touch with different phases of commercial affairs."

Four months later, on April 12, 1912, a group of 700 delegates from various commercial and trade organizations came together to create a unified body of business interest that would later become the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

More than 90 years later, the Chamber claims a membership of 300,000 businesses. There are 3,000 state and local chambers, some of which choose to affiliate with the U.S. chamber. There also are 830 related associations, and more than 90 American Chambers of Commerce abroad.[11][12][13]

History of the USCC Building

United States Chamber of Commerce building at 1615 H Street, NW in Washington, D.C. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1841, friends of Daniel Webster purchased a three-and-a-half story home on the ground now occupied by the U.S. Chamber building. Webster's home was the site of a number of historic events, including final negotiations with Great Britain over Maine's boundaries that resulted in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842.

On the issues

The Chamber's positions include:

Funding

The US Chamber of Commerce has emerged as the largest lobbying organization in America. It spent $91.7 million on lobbying in 2008, and $144.5 million in 2009, up from $18.7 million in 2000. The Chamber's lobbying expenditures in 2009 were five times as high as the next highest spender: Exxon Mobil, at $27.4 million.[17] The Chamber had more than 150 lobbyists from 25 different firms working on its behalf in 2009. The major issues that it advocated on were in the categories of torts, government issues, finance, banking and taxes.

Election activities

In the 2008 election cycle, aggressive ads paid for by the USCC attacked a number of Democratic congressional candidates (such as Minnesota's DFL Senate candidate Al Franken) and supported a number of Republican candidates including John Sununu, Gordon Smith, Roger Wicker, Saxby Chambliss and Elizabeth Dole.

During the 2010 campaign cycle, the chamber said it planned to directly spend $75 million, reported to be mostly aimed at defeating Democrats.[18] That year, the Chamber's PAC also gave $29,000 (89 percent) to Republican candidates and $3,500 (11 percent) to Democratic candidates.[19] The Chamber's PAC received a total of 76 donations from individual donors ($200 or more donation) totaling $79,852 in 2007-2008, or an average of three donations per month.[20]

Controversies

In April 2009, the Chamber began an ad campaign against the proposed Employee Free Choice Act.[21] Critics such as the National Association of Manufacturers have contended that additional use of card check elections will lead to overt coercion on the part of union organizers. Opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act also claim, referring to perceived lack of access to a secret ballot, that the measure would not protect employee privacy. Hence they claim the act will reduce workers' rights.[22] The act is widely supported by organized labor.[23]

The Chamber has developed a hardline stance against action on climate change, a policy which may have breached its internal rules, as it was not passed by a board vote.[24] In September and October 2009, several companies quit the Chamber due to the Chamber's stance on environmental impact reform, including Exelon Corp, PG&E Corp, PNM Resources, Apple Inc,[25] and Mohawk Fine Papers.[26] Nike, Inc has decided to resign from their board of directors position but to continue their membership. Nike stated that they believe they can better influence the policy by being part of the conversation.[27] In response to an online campaign of Prius owners organized by Moveon.org, Toyota has stated that it is not leaving the Chamber.[28]

In October, 2009, The Yes Men activist group held a fake press conference pretending to represent the Chamber and promising a complete reversal on the already sensitive climate change policy. The Chamber subsequently filed suit against that activist group.[29]

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants to force the E.P.A. to arrange a climate science hearing before any federal climate regulation is passed.[30][31][32]

Some observers say that the Chamber, by so fiercely opposing most of the Democrats’ agenda, has become its own worst enemy. Peter Darbee, CEO of former chamber member PG&E (a utility company in California), said, “I'm struck by the irony that, as we try to restore public trust in business on the one hand, on the other the Chamber's behavior on the climate issue only reinforces stereotypes that erode that very same confidence." Hillary Rosen, former CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America added, "Their aggressive ways are out of step with a new generation of business leadership who are looking for more cooperative relationship with Washington.” In response, David Chavern, the Chamber’s COO said, "We are not crazy or outside the mainstream." [33]

It has been reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has falsely inflated the number of members.[34] The Chamber says this is a "misunderstanding of the U.S. Chamber's structure".[35]

In November 2009, The U. S. Chamber of Commerce was reported to be seeking to spend $50,000 to hire a "respected economist" to produce a study that could be used to portray health-care legislation as a job killer and threat to the nation's economy. James P. Gelfand, the author of the e-mail detailing this project, assumes ahead of time that the study will reach such a conclusion.[36]

In December 2009, activist group Velvet Revolution, under the name StopTheChamber, posted a $200,000 reward for "information leading to the arrest and conviction of Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donahue".[37] When this fact was reported by Fox News, the group reported receiving death threats.[38]

In October 2010, it was reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may be seeking donations from foreign businesses and foreign governments to advance its political interests. The MoveOn.org advocacy organization asked the Department of Justice to investigate the matter. The US Chamber denied the allegations, saying they had a "system in place" to ensure that overseas money is not used illegally. The US Chamber did not provide any explanation of that system.[18]Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine joined the chorus said, "It's time the Chamber of Commerce answered a very basic question: Since when do they believe that large undisclosed corporate interests and companies in China, Russia and the Middle East should help choose America's leaders?"[39]A White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the Chamber’s failure to disclose the companies donating to its political advertising was his concern. “The donors that have gone into contributing to those ads, the identity of those individuals or groups should be known.” [40]

Affiliate organizations

See also

References

  1. ^ "Top lobbyists in the US". Retrieved 7.8.2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ Allen, Jonathan (2009-10-20). "U.S. Chamber: $34.7 million in lobbying". Politico.
  3. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Robert S. Milligan".
  4. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Thomas D. Bell Jr".
  5. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Donald J. Shepard".
  6. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Paul S. Speranza".
  7. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Gerald L. Shaheen".
  8. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Maura W. Donahue".
  9. ^ "Board of Directors, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: John W. Bachmann".
  10. ^ US Chamber of Commerce website, 31 Oct 2009
  11. ^ "About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce". Retrieved 10.22.2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help) [dead link]
  12. ^ Mother Jones, 14 October 2009, "US Chamber Shrinks Membership 90%": accessed 20 October 2009.
  13. ^ "Propaganda and Pearlstein". Retrieved 10.22.2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ Tankersley, Jim (2009-08-25). "U.S. Chamber of Commerce seeks trial on global warming". LA Times. Retrieved 2009-09-07. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Anderson, Mitchell (2009-09-07). "Global Warming's New Scopes Monkey Trial". The Tyee. Retrieved 2009-09-07. {{cite web}}: Check |authorlink= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); External link in |authorlink= (help)
  16. ^ DeMelle, Brendan (2009-9-22). "PG&E Quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Nike Fed Up Too". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2009-12-29. {{cite web}}: Check |authorlink= value (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); External link in |authorlink= (help)
  17. ^ Los Angeles Times, 8 March 2010, "U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force": accessed 9 March 2010.
  18. ^ a b Chamber of Commerce under fire for foreign cash, Politico
  19. ^ Center for Responsive Politics, US Chamber of Commerce summary
  20. ^ Center for Responsive Politics, 31Oct 2009
  21. ^ [1]
  22. ^ http://www.bipac.net/issue_alert.asp?g=NAM&issue=Card_Check&parent=NAM
  23. ^ [2]
  24. ^ Mother Jones, 7 October 2009, Inside the Chamber of Carbon
  25. ^ (Reuters) "Apple, citing climate, tells U.S. Chamber iQuit", 5 October 2009: accessed 5 October 2009.
  26. ^ [3]: accessed 22 October 2009.
  27. ^ (Nike) "Nike US Chamber Statement", 30 September 2009: accessed 6 October 2009.
  28. ^ [4]: accessed 3 November 2009
  29. ^ Sheppard, Kate (27 October 2009). "Chamber Sues the Yes Men". Mother Jones. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  30. ^ http://apolloalliance.org/digest/?tag=350org
  31. ^ http://angeles.sierraclub.org/ocglobalwarming/Change.html
  32. ^ http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2009/09/07/NewMonkeyTrial/
  33. ^ Is the chamber its own worst enemy?, TIME, 31Oct 2009
  34. ^ http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/chamber-backs-smaller-membership-number
  35. ^ http://www.uschamber.com/facts
  36. ^ Shear, Michael D. (16 November 2009). "Opponents of health-care effort look to fund a critical economic study". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  37. ^ Activist Group Puts Bounty on Chamber of Commerce CEO, Fox News
  38. ^ Fox 'News' Fans Flood Anti-U.S. Chamber Campaign With Death Threats, Racial Attacks
  39. ^ Miami Herald, Is the US Chamber Spending Foreign Money on US Campaigns, http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/07/1862578/is-the-us-chamber-spending-foreign.html
  40. ^ Bloomberg, Oct 7 2010, http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aDUIDnLpV20k
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