The Non Germane Objector (NGO) Campaign was formed in 2010 by Ken Hamidi (Kourosh Kenneth Hamidi) with support from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Inc.[1][2] The campaign's main message indicates "Give Yourself a Pay Raise", focusing on the reduction in representation fees paid by employees who have transitioned to "Non Germane Objector" (NGO) status.
[3] By electing to transition to NGO status State of California employees are objecting to pay union dues for non-germane expenditures.
[5] Additionally, the NGO campaign is part of the attempt to build support for Ken Hamidi's union California Professional Public Employees Association (CPPEA) as an alternative to SEIU.
[7] In 2008, Ken Hamidi ran for president of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000 where he finished third.
[8] Hamidi and other formal "challengers" argue that the union's audit, done by an independent firm, is incorrect and that the percentage of non-germane spending is actually higher.