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Rep. Gutierrez: McEntee is “Disgrace to Labor Movement” for Endorsing Rahm for Mayor

By: Michael Whitney Tuesday October 5, 2010 5:50 pm

Big story from Mike Elk: Rep. Luis Gutierrez, Democratic Congressman from Illinois and potential mayoral candidate for the city of Chicago, slammed AFSCME President Gerald McEntee’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago. Gutierriez said McEntee is a “disgrace to the labor movement” for endorsing Rahm’s candidacy.

On Saturday, I had the chance to catch up with Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez, who has formed an exploratory committee to run for mayor. Gutierrez had not yet heard the news when I told him of McEntee’s endorsement of Rahm Emanuel at the One Nation Working Together rally. He was outraged. “I’m shocked that Gerry McEntee would endorse Rahm Emanuel, considering what Rahm has done to working people,” Gutierrez told me.

“This is the same Rahm Emanuel who said ‘Fuck the UAW!’ ” Gutierrez characterized McEntee’s endorsement of Emanuel as “a disgrace to the labor movement. … What about all my years paying dues as an AFSCME member or all those year walking picket lines as Congressman? I guess that counts for nothing,” Gutierrez continued.

Ouch – McEntee is going to eat this one. This is nasty, and a sign of what’s to come for Chicago’s mayoral race.

Trumka Frustrated by “Pro-Business” Bent of Obama Administration

By: Michael Whitney Monday October 4, 2010 12:42 pm

Laura Flanders of GRITtv spoke with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka last week about jobs, Trumka’s union experience, and the future of the labor movement.  Trumka is clearly aggravated about a lack of progress on jobs, saying that President Obama “is probably more pro-business than anybody in the past.” He also says “the worst thing this president could do” is replace Larry Summers with a CEO.

Trumka says that his top priority is “jobs, jobs, jobs,” and that creating them “isn’t brain surgery.” Notably, when Flanders asks Trumka about his thoughts for a replacement for Larry Summers, the AFL-CIO President challenges the administration on its pro-corporate policies.

“This administration has probably been more pro-business than anybody in the past. I mean, when it comes to tax breaks, all the things they’ve done – look at the bailouts of Wall Street. That was pretty pro-business as far as I can see. We have a number of candidates that we’ll be pushing who are pro-worker. The worst thing that this president could do is put somebody that is a CEO into that position and say, ‘Now we have to become pro-business.’ He would lose his entire base.”

Check it out:

AFSCME Pres McEntee: Rahm is a “Progressive Force,” Liberals Should “Suck it Up”

By: Michael Whitney Thursday September 30, 2010 2:38 pm

(photo: spike55151)

This is, as Gerry McEntee might say, “Bullshit!” Via Ben Smith, McEntee praises Rahm on the Chief of Staff’s way out of DC and endorses him for mayor of Chicago:

“If I lived in Chicago, I would vote for him for mayor,” said Gerald McEntee, the president of the giant public workers union AFSCME.

McEntee clashed with Emanuel over elements of health care legislation and has at times been a critic of the Obama Administration from the left. But while many in his wing of the party remain bitter at Emanuel — and plan to campaign against him for mayor of Chicago — McEntee said that Emanuel’s record was, on balance “for progressive forces and ideas.” [...]

McEntee also recalled backing Emanuel’s 2006 efforts to take back the House of Representatives.

“For our aid and participation in that effort, particularly working close with him, he on two different occasions sent me a cheesecake from Eli’s,” McEntee said, referring to the Chicago eatery and adding that the aid had not amounted to “coordination.”

Anyone know what kind of presence AFSCME has in Chicago? Cause then this would make sense.

Finally, it appears as though McEntee  doesn’t want to be left out of the “buck up” chorus of late.

Asked for a message about Rahm to skeptical allies on the left, McEntee echoed Joe Biden: “Suck it up.”

Come on, what is it? It’s bullshit!

Fuckin’ AFSCME.

NUHW Attacks SEIU for Not Supporting Republicans; Proxies Attack SEIU on Prop 19

By: Michael Whitney Friday September 17, 2010 4:37 pm

Firedoglake has exclusively obtained mailers from NUHW that encourage Kaiser workers to vote NUHW because the kinda-union supports Republicans more than SEIU does. Seriously.

Medical Marijuana Growers Join with Teamsters

By: Michael Whitney Wednesday September 15, 2010 10:08 am

About 40 medical marijuana industry employees joined with the Teamsters Local 70 in California earlier this month, ratifying a contract after their employer recognized their union without interference. These employees are different from those of medical marijuana dispensaries who joined with UFCW Local 5. The newest Teamster members are those who tend to plants at a medical marijuana management company.

SEIU Endorses California’s Prop 19

By: Michael Whitney Tuesday September 14, 2010 11:50 am

SEIU’s California State Council – arguably the leaders of the state’s most powerful union – announced the union’s support of California’s Proposition 19 for marijuana legalization. Not only does SEIU’s endorsement bring much needed political mainstream legitimacy, but as the Times notes, it also brings SEIU’s campaign infrastructure to Prop 19’s campaign.

Trumka Calls out Palin in Alaska, She Responds “You Lie” on Facebook

By: Michael Whitney Thursday August 26, 2010 9:12 pm

Speaking to union members in Anchorage, Alaska today, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Sarah Palin would “go down in history like [Joe] McCarthy,” and predicted that “Palinism will become an ugly word.”

Palin(’s ghostwriter) took the time to pen a longer response on Facebook posted tonight, in which Palin asks union members to consider “a different home for you: the commonsense conservative movement … you won’t regret it.”

US Chamber of Commerce Apologizes, But Don’t Be Fooled

By: Michael Whitney Thursday August 19, 2010 7:22 pm

After getting roundly whacked by basically the entire internet, the US Chamber has officially apologized for its blog post yesterday that suggested women seeking equal pay have a “fetish for money” and suggested women should “choose the right partner at home.” But don’t let it fool you: the US Chamber has for decades advocated in private the very sentiments posted to its public blog yesterday. We just got a look behind the curtain.

Longshore Workers Endorse Prop 19 while Prison Guards’ Union Stays Neutral

By: Michael Whitney Thursday August 19, 2010 4:16 pm

The Northern California council of the ILWU, otherwise known as the Longshoremen, announced its support for Prop 19, California’s marijuana legalization initiative. The 25,000-member council cited the extraordinary “waste” of money and lives in the war on marijuana, including marijuana prohibition’s disproportionate impact “on the backs of workers, poor people, and people of color.”

US Chamber: Equal Pay “a Fetish for Money,” Women Should “Choose the Right Partner at Home”

By: Michael Whitney Wednesday August 18, 2010 3:10 pm

The US Chamber of Commerce has apparently spent too much time watching Mad Men: in a blog post this morning, Chamber blogger Brad Peck called women’s fight for pay equity to be nothing more than a “fetish for money,” and said women complaining about their pay should focus instead on “choosing the right partner at home.” The Chamber’s Peck also approvingly quoted a post that asked, “Should government force gym-man to share his beautiful babes with couch-potato man?”

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