Union elections at Yale-New Haven Hospital have been indefinitely postponed in the wake of an arbitrator's ruling that the hospital's administration had violated federal law.
Specifically, the administration broke their agreement and racked up "serious violations" of federal law by holding captive meetings bashing the union in which threats on salaries and jobs were made.
Want to see a Democratic senator squirm? Don't ask about Iraq or gasoline prices. Ask about Joe Lieberman.
They edge toward the door, duck into the elevator, scoot down the hall to avoid the question: Will you support Joe Lieberman if he loses the Aug. 8 Senate primary to Ned Lamont and runs as an independent?
Kudos to Sharon Palmer, president of Local 871 of the American Federation of Teachers, who in making the case for limiting the AFL-CIO's misguided endorsement of Joe Lieberman to the primary, made this telling observation:
"If he were to desert his party, how long would it be before he deserted labor?"
She was quoted in the New Haven Register by Mary O'Leary, who also reported on how the gubernatorial candidates fared.
Today, our campaign made history by receiving the endorsement from the Connecticut AFL-CIO! Representing over 210,000 working families across the state, the AFL-CIO has never before endorsed a candidate in a gubernatorial primary in Connecticut but as John Olsen - President of the Connecticut AFL-CIO - said, "We've never had a candidate like this."
Olsen says today's endorsement speaks to Mayor DeStefano's incredible record of sticking up for working families. "John has proven over and over again that he understands the issues of working families. He is running on more than promises, he is running of a record of standing up for middle income people. Workers at the Omni and Yale University are better off because of his leadership and he's initiated more Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) than all the other communities in Connecticut combined. Plain and simple, John has been there for working families and now we're going to be there for him - today and everyday between now and Nov. 7."
Before receiving the endorsement, Mayor DeStefano spoke to a packed ballroom of delegates - stopping many times for standing ovations. Standing behind him at the podium were workers from SEIU 1199, AFSCME Council 15, Unite H.E.R.E. and the Building Trades. The Mayor asked for the delegates’ support and shared with them his vision for Connecticut. He singled out the workers standing behind him, telling the audience: "I know who I work for, I know where I come from, and I know where I'll go home to when all this is over."
In the coming months, we are very excited to work with the AFL-CIO and alongside hardworking men and women to fight for universal health care, job growth, lower energy costs and a moral minimum wage. Together, we will make Connecticut a better place for working families. Join our campaign today!
Amid all the hoopla at the big union shindig at the Omni, there are two votes of interest to watch out for. One is the vote to endorse Joe Lieberman. No suspense there. That one's in the bag.
The other vote is obver whether that endorsement will be for the August primary only, or whether it will extend to November, regardless of the primary results. And the outcome of that one is not so cut and dried.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: Despite a lot of pressure from the Lieberman campaign, CT labor did not give Joe Lieberman a blank check for their support in the event he becomes a "petitioning candidate."
Their endorsement is ONLY for the primary. When he loses, it's back to the drawing board.
This is a big defeat for the DC power brokers and a moral victory for the Lamont campaign (not to mention the people of Connecticut).
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