Fenty and Rhee Take Their Anti-Union Road Show to Denver  

I’ve been over on the Washington City Paper discussing union issues. Sometimes, you have to bring the discussion to where the anti-union folks are.

In Loose Lips latest installment of the saga that is the Fenty administrations’ snubbing of all things union, we have this little ditty about a panel Fenty and Rhee participated:

Rhee told the crowd that she expects to have negotiations on the reform contract concluded within two weeks and ready for a vote by the Washington Teachers’ Union membership, LL has been told.

Her comments came during a panel discussion on education reform here in Denver with Michael Bennet, superintendent of Denver’s public schools, and other public education reform leaders. On a separate panel, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty spoke about his takeover of DCPS with New York City schools chief Joel I. Klein, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, and others. The event was sponsored by a coalition of more than three dozen education reform and charter school organizations.


So in reading this little snippet, did you notice anything missing?

I did. Teachers and their unions.

So, me being the meek, mild mannered, and quiet unionist that I am asked Loose Lips if there were any unions there, here’s his response:

Mike DeBonis Says:
August 25th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Nope, no union folks on the panel, and didn’t seem to be any union folks there at all, from what I was told. BTW, the AFT is a “platinum-level” sponsor of the convention and prez Randi Weingarten will be addressing the floor this evening.


Well, that sort of says a lot about this panel, doesn’t it?

To me, it says that Fenty doesn’t much care about workers, which includes teachers, or the voice of those workers represented by their unions. Oh, yeah, and I said as much in my follow up comment:

Thanks for the update Mike. All workers need a voice, no matter what field. Unions aren’t just for laborers (LiUNA), Electricians (IBEW), writers (WGA) or casino workers (UAW), it’s also for teachers (NEA, AFT, etc…) nurses (SEIU, CNA), Engineers (BLE, IUOE), county child support workers (Teamsters, AFSCME), even actors (SAG). To have an education forum and to not have any unions on the panel ESPECIALLY the very EDUCATION REFORM minded Randi Weingarten is a travesty. But to be an elected Democratic official to sit on such a panel is tantamount to being in your face anti-union. Something Rhee and Fenty seem to be courting as a mantra of theirs.


Perhaps if you're really really good, Fenty will bring his anti-union self to your town, too!!

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2 comments

  • Unknown  
    7:50 PM

    METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON COUNCIL, AFL-CIO
    888 16th St NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20006 www.dclabor.org 202-974-8153

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, August 27, 2008
    CONTACT: Chris Garlock 202-230-1133 cgarlock@dclabor.org

    WHAT: Unions Hit DC Mayor for being “Anti-Worker” at DNC
    WHEN: Wednesday, August 27, 8:30AM local time
    WHERE: DNC, Denver, CO

    Calling DC Mayor Adrian Fenty a “budget-shattering, union-busting, promise-breaking political boss whose poor performance and bad management are costing DC taxpayers millions of dollars,” District of Columbia unions fanned out this morning to expose Mayor Fenty’s record and generate support from state delegations at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.

    “Mayor Fenty’s hostility to workers and unions is completely at odds with the Democratic Party’s longstanding commitment to these major constituency groups,” said Metro Washington Council President Joslyn N. Williams. “This year’s party platform includes the strongest support ever for organized labor, and Barack Obama himself has been outspoken in his support for the right of workers to organize and the importance of the labor movement in a free and democratic society.” Added Williams, “Mayor Fenty has turned a deaf ear to workers, unions, community groups and the City Council. As we gear up to elect Barack Obama President and bring the winds of change to the White House in November, we are deeply disappointed that the Mayor of our nation’s capital has refused to meet with us, to talk with us, and to work with us to solve the District’s many challenges.”

    In a full-color flyer (attached) being distributed to state delegations, District unions accuse Fenty of taking “aggressive steps to undercut workers and organized labor in the District of Columbia,” including:
    Ø costing the District when he had to rehire union workers fired without proper investigation.
    Ø breaking his promise to rebuild DC schools using union labor.
    Ø trying to gut seniority rights for unionized DC teachers.
    Ø creating a crisis for hard-working rank and file District employees by refusing to appoint qualified people to fill vacancies on the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB).
    Ø stooping to reveal his petty, vindictive governing tactics when he unilaterally abolished city jobs held by some union leaders, a retaliatory move to intimidate unions who have pushed for reform through partnership.

    The District unions pledge that they “and other allies of working families will expose (Fenty’s) anti-union, antidemocratic record whenever he campaigns around the country.”
    ####

  • Unknown  
    8:02 PM

    Excerpts from Fenty Flyer

    D.C. MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY

    THE UN UN--REFORMER
    ANTI-WORKER.
    ANTI-COMMUNITY.
    ANTI-DEMOCRATIC
    D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty has become the national poster child for reforming urban schools and
    streamlining city government. But the image-conscious Fenty is not the reform whiz kid. Far from
    it.

    Mayor Fenty is a budget-shattering, union-busting, promise-breaking political boss whose poor
    performance and bad management are costing DC taxpayers millions of dollars without real accountability
    or significant improvements.

    . Fenty badly bungled the city.s summer jobs program for youth, grossly overspending by $31 million.
    . Fenty campaigned on inclusion, but he routinely excludes the city council, community groups and unions
    from important policy decisions affecting the city.
    FENTY: HOSTILE TO WORKERS AND UNIONS

    Boss Fenty has taken aggressive steps to undercut workers and organized labor in the District of Columbia.
    . Fenty cost the District when he had to rehire union workers fired without proper investigation.
    . Fenty broke his promise to rebuild DC schools using union labor.
    . Fenty is trying to gut seniority rights for unionized DC teachers.
    . Fenty has created a crisis for hard-working rank and file District employees by refusing to appoint qualified
    people to fill vacancies on the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB).
    . Fenty stooped to reveal his petty, vindictive governing tactics when he unilaterally abolished city jobs held
    by some union leaders, a retaliatory move to intimidate unions who have pushed for reform through partnership.
    STOP FENTY. STAND WITH DC WORKERS

    The Metropolitan Washington labor community brings this matter to the DNC convention to inform
    delegates about Mayor Fenty.s real record and his Republican-like assault on workers and union members
    in the nation.s capital. We and other allies of working families will expose his anti-union, antidemocratic
    record whenever he campaigns around the country.

    AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!

    Metropolitan Washington Council AFL-CIO www.dclabor.org

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