The latest instance of unions showing that their radical agenda controls the actions of politicians comes from California, where The Los Angeles Times reports that five lawmakers received big campaign checks from the SEIU after voting to increase the minimum wage.

The SEIU Local 1000 Candidate PAC made election contributions of $8,500 each to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount), former Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) and Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose).

This report comes just a day after Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton reported that California’s labor unions “scared Democratic legislative leaders” into supporting a $15 minimum wage statewide – with no accounting for regional economic differences – despite knowing they will hurt small businesses and force worker layoffs.

Labor wouldn’t agree to regional differences. It vowed to fight for a ballot initiative. That scared Democratic legislative leaders. It meant many millions of union dollars would be spent on a ballot measure — rather than on Democratic candidates for the Legislature…So the political timing was ripe for a minimum wage deal. And it zipped through the Legislature in three days. Never mind arguments that it could price some small businesses out of hiring and force them to lay off workers. Or that it could generate inflation and hurt the elderly poor on fixed incomes. And for the first time, the minimum wage will be adjusted higher each year to match inflation, further forcing up costs.

What’s happening in California is just another example of how the so-called “Fight For 15” is really a power grab for extreme big labor groups seeking to enroll more dues paying members. It is important for Americans to understand that the reason politicians are supporting this initiative is because labor unions are bankrolling their campaigns and need to take note of politicians that continue to be complicit in big labor’s attempt to take over the political process.