Senate Rejects Delay On Dog Racing Ban

by: Garrett Quinn

Thu May 21, 2009 at 16:29:20 PM EDT

It appears the legislature is deciding to no longer tell the voters to screw. Senator Marc Pacheco, a big labor and government supporter, sponsored the budget amendment. It went down like a Tijuana whore 29-8.

Reports said that Pacheco emphasized that AFL-CIO considered the vote a "labor vote." So you can add ignoring the will of the voters to the long list of "labor votes." Labor votes include things like raising taxes, increasing spending, restricting free enterprise, endangering public safety, supporting graft, etc.    

Big Labor: Has The Innoculation Commenced?

by: The Angelic One

Tue Sep 02, 2008 at 10:10:34 AM EDT

Today's Worcester Gazette (9-2-08) reports on a recent Labor Day breakfast held by Massachusetts labor leaders. Here's what Massachusetts AFL-CIO president Robert Haynes had to say:

“(Mr. Obama) should be 20 points ahead of the grumpy old man he is running against,” Mr. Haynes said at the annual Central Massachusetts AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast held at the Crowne Plaza. “But one of the most jarring truths about this election is pure, unadulterated racism. There are people in this country and in our unions who are reluctant to support Barack Obama because he’s not a white guy. That’s about the stupidest reason I’ve heard not to vote for him.

I have no doubt that racism will rear its ugly head in November given the toxic aspects of human nature being stirred by Identity Politics. What I found intriguing about Haynes comments was the fact that he went so far as to "out" an anonymous segment of his union's membership as possible racist retrogrades. I have no reason to doubt Haynes' concerns & one should applaud the man for being forthright about it.

But does Haynes' comments reflect a genuine concern that Big Labor won't be as reliable in getting out its vote for Barack Obama as it had in previous presidential elections? Is Big Labor, in effect, innoculating itself from what it percieves to be the inability of its leaders to deliver the votes of its members?

And if union members vote against Obama for reasons that have nothing to do with race (such as concerns over social issues), how does tagging said members as racists sustain union solidarity? I don't think it does. What it demonstrates, however, is the wide gulf between union leaders & their membership.

Organized labor, a dud?

by: Karl Marx

Mon Mar 24, 2008 at 10:01:01 AM EDT

Democrat Ruth Balser of Newton gave the final speech on the House floor before last week's casino vote, warning of the dangers of gambling addiction. She said she was raised never to cross a picket line and considered herself a good friend of labor.
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"But, I have to say to the president of the AFL-CIO," she said, "Mr. President, on this you are dead wrong."

From his seat in the gallery overlooking the House chamber, Robert Haynes, head of the state's largest labor organization, leaned forward in his seat and pointed toward Balser.

"No," he said quietly. "She's dead wrong."

It was a dramatic moment that captured the anger Haynes and other union leaders felt about the House position on casinos - and their inability to affect it. When the House voted a few minutes later, just 46 members supported the bill, a top union priority for the thousands of jobs casinos would bring. Afterward, House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi crowed over labor's defeat, praising House members for withstanding "incredible pressure" from unions.

"It was a very disappointing showing for labor," said Jeffrey M. Berry, a political scientist at Tufts University.

It would be a mistake to suggest that labor unions have lost their power in Massachusetts politics - just ask Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has been fighting for months with firefighters over drug and alcohol testing, or any school committee struggling with its latest teachers contract.

But the casino vote highlights the extent to which the labor community is smaller, more fractured, and less influential in electoral politics than it once was. It also highlights the limits union power has on Beacon Hill.

It was Haynes' blowhard rhetoric that doomed his side on the casino issue, not just suburban legislators. He obviously needs more tact in an environment where the speaker holds all the cards (pun intended). Will he be able to punish his Democratic allies in November? Probably not. He will march in line as his members declines - unable to adjust to the 21st century.

Full text here: http://www.boston.com/news/loc...

Big red collectivist orb attacks priest!!

by: cranberrycynic

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 10:56:39 AM EDT

 photo fom the Globe

Whether or not you always agree with his politics, Bob Massie  (more here) is an impressive figure. His passion is unparalleled and his courage unmatched.