Workers Vote is a “Super PAC” that exclusively contributes funds to Democratic candidates. ¹ Originally named “Take Back 2020,” it changed its name to “Workers Vote” in July 2021 but kept its original FEC committee ID. ² At the same time, Zaina Tannu became the PAC’s treasurer, replacing Timothy Barnes. ^{3 4 5}

The PAC is funded by labor unions and liberal advocacy groups, among other sources. ^{6 7} PAC treasurer Zaina Tannu is associated with the Unite Here labor union. ⁸

Finances

Donors

During the 2020 election cycle, the PAC received large donations from several prominent Democratic Party-aligned organizations, including $5,653,382 from America Votes, $5,388,000 from Fair Fight PAC, $5,150,000 from Sixteen Thirty Fund, and $600,000 from American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). ⁹

Between January and June 2021, the PAC received contributions from Unite Here PAC, Worker Power PAC, and Unite Here Local 34 PAC. ¹⁰ Unite Here, a labor union operating in the United States and Canada, is affiliated with the leaders of Workers Vote. On Unite Here’s website members are told to contact Zaina Tannu to get in touch with Unite Here. ¹¹

Expenditures

During the 2020 election cycle, Workers Vote (then operating under the name Take Back 2020) spent a total of $9,336,281 on candidates’ campaigns: $5,798,634 for Democrats, $3,537,647 against Republicans. ¹² The PAC contributed $3,865,812 to the president campaign of Joe Biden (D), and the entirety of the $3,537,647 it had spent against Republicans was all directed against President Donald Trump’s (R) re-election campaign. That same cycle it also contributed $1,025,554 to Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), $811,831 to Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), $87,654 to Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and $7,783 to Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL). Of those Democratic candidates, only Mucarsel-Powell lost their respective race. ¹³

As of November 2021, the group has officially only made a total of $126,736 in expenditures for the 2022 election cycle, but these donations went to Ossoff and Warnock, who had runoff Senate races in January 2021. ^{14 15}

Bank of Labor

According to its July 2021 FEC filing, Workers Vote was using the Bank of Labor based in Kansas City as its bank. ¹⁶ The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers has owned the Bank of Labor since it was created in 1924 and owns 60 percent of the shares in Brotherhood Bancshares (the Bank of Labor’s holding company). Bank of Labor’s stated mission is “to serve the needs of the North American labor movement,” and “not only the financial needs of its affiliate institutions” but “also its core social values and causes.” The Bank “shares the values and the causes of the AFL-CIO” and expresses that it has the “potential to become the bank of choice for America’s labor movement.” ¹⁷

Leadership

The treasurer of Workers Vote during the 2019-2020 cycle, when it was still called Take Back 2020, was Timothy Barnes. ^{18 19} Zaina Tannu replaced Timothy Barnes as the new treasurer around the time when the organization changed its name to Workers Vote. ²⁰

According to their LinkedIn page, Zaina Tannu is also the PAC manager of Unite Here. ²¹

1. “Take Back 2020 Recipients, 2020.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/recips.php?cmte=C00754051&cycle=2020
2. “Workers Vote.” Statement of Organization. FEC FORM 1. July 19, 2021. https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/605/202107199451681605/202107199451681605.pdf.
3. Workers Vote.” Statement of Organization. FEC FORM 1. July 19, 2021. https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/605/202107199451681605/202107199451681605.pdf.
4. “PAC Profile: Take Back 2020.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/take-back-2020/C00754051/summary/2020.
5. “Take Back 2020.” Federal Election Committee. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00754051/?tab=about-committee&cycle=2020.
6.  “PAC Profile: Take Back 2020.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cycle=2020&cmte=C00754051.
7. “About UNITE HERE Political Action Committees.” UNITE HERE!, August 4, 2021. https://unitehere.org/about-unite-here-pacs/.
8.  “Zaina Tannu.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaina-tannu-797031150
9. “PAC Profile: Take Back 2020.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cycle=2020&cmte=C00754051.
10. “Workers Vote.” Federal Election Committee. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00754051/?tab=raising&cycle=2022.
11. “About UNITE HERE Political Action Committees.” UNITE HERE!, August 4, 2021. https://unitehere.org/about-unite-here-pacs/.
12. “PAC Profile: Take Back 2020.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cycle=2020&cmte=C00754051.
13. “ PAC Profile: Take Back 2020.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib.php?cycle=2020&cmte=C00754051.
14. “PAC Profile: Workers Vote.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/recips.php?cycle=2022&cmte=C00754051.
15. “United States Senate runoff elections in Georgia (January 5, 2021).” Ballotpedia. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_runoff_elections_in_Georgia_(January_5,_2021).
16. “Workers Vote.” Statement of Organization. FEC FORM 1. July 19, 2021. https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/605/202107199451681605/202107199451681605.pdf.
17. “Our Mission.” Bank of Labor, July 16, 2020. https://www.bankoflabor.com/our-mission.
18. “Take Back 2020.” Federal Election Committee. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00754051/?tab=about-committee&cycle=2020.
19. “PAC Profile: Take Back 2020.” OpenSecrets. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/take-back-2020/C00754051/summary/2020.
20.  “Workers Vote.” Statement of Organization. FEC FORM 1. July 19, 2021. https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/605/202107199451681605/202107199451681605.pdf.
21. “Zaina Tannu.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 19, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zaina-tannu-797031150