Leaders of some of New Jersey's most politically powerful brick-and-mortar unions refused to endorse the organized labor's wall-of-solidarity rally Friday in Trenton.It's about time public workers realized we can't spend any more public money to support jobs; we need that public money to support jobs. Or something - it's confusing...
Ray Pocino, president of the New Jersey Laborer's Union chose not to encourage his 25,000 members to participate in the rally, fearing that it would turn into an anti-Chris Christie protest rather than a show of support for besieged public workers in Wisconsin. (It was both.)
"We want to keep that dialogue going with Governor Christie, and we didn't want to be viewed as part of a governor bashing" event, Pocino said.
So, "rather than risk breaking down that dialogue with the governor, which has been good," Pocino said, the union chose to sit out the protest.
In other words, Pocino doesn't want to alienate Christie, who rewards loyalty but banishes those who cross him.
Christie has pledged support, and taxpayer financing, for the stalled $2 billion Revel Casino project and the Xanadu entertainment and retail project in the Meadowlands, which is expected to provide thousands of construction jobs.
With unemployment among laborers far exceeding the state average, Pocino would rather see his members cheer Christie at his press events — like one in Atlantic City earlier this month announcing the restarting of the Revel project — than slam him at the State House.
Keeping wages decent in the public sector puts upward pressure on wages in the private sector. Ray, your brothers and sisters in the public sector do much more for your members than Christie ever will. You'll find that out soon enough when he rescinds prevailing wage requirements on state contracts.
6 comments:
Pocino sounds like a puppy who's been kicked by Christie--trying to appease a possible tormentor.
You know this is going to turn out badly for Pocino and his union. Just sayin....
The kleptocracy cares not if you are a public or private worker.
I was really disappointed at the complete absence of unions at the rally in Providence, RI this weekend. I spoke to one Providence teacher there who told me he had been at a union meeting earlier in the week and there was not a peep about the rally.
It seems hard to understand how union leaders don't see the writing on the wall.
If there are not rallies every weekend, of increasing size, we are all screwed.
I plan on going back to the RI statehouse again this next Saturday, and the one after that, and I sure hope you all will do so as well, and bring your friends, family and coworkers.
A friend who is a surgical nurse in CA told me the nurses union picked her hospital last week. There were nurse managers handing out papers informing people that it was illegal for them to be on hospital property if it was their day off, and they were writing down names of people participating in the picket.
This is not just about unions -- this is about our right to make a fair wage, with fair benefits, for a fair day's work.
People should be reminded that Republicans will repeal the minimum wage if given the slightest opportunity.
Donate an hour or two of your time and RALLY EVERY WEEKEND.
Duke: I'm happy to find this blog via Balloon Juice. So please delete my comment - it is simply a typo-housekeeping matter. "...It's about time public workers realized we can't spend any more pubic money to support jobs...
It's just too darn easy to type pubic instead of public, and even easier to get mocked when you do.
Ha! Got me Larkspur. Fixed the typo, but not deleting the comment - public humiliation is good for the soul (better than pubic humiliation any day).
I haven't posted about RI, Karen Marie, because I'm not as conversant as I should be. But RIFing the entire teacher corps is just insane.
I'll try to get more on top of the story.
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