I find it very telling that this article (clearly an anti-union hack job, full of 'facts' from the 'center for union facts', bob fitch's favorite boss front group to smash unions) was deemed worthy of forwarding.  Not any article about what 1199 spends 97% of it's money on--- things ranging from the brilliant bread and roses working-class cultural project, twenty busses for members to represent at anti-war and mumia marches, or perhaps the most successful new organizing program in the country (which has grown the local exponentially and made NY-area health care workers the best-compensated in the country and perhaps the world--- I mean two dollar co-pays for CNAs, jesus).  Nah.  Better to slam them because 700 member-activists had a party that was catered (instead of getting the local food not bombs to cook shome vegan garbage, right?).  I'll say this: at their massive size, power, and financial resources, 1199 NY is going to have the kind of oceans of cash that allows their members to have a bigger bash than ours in vegas could.  I'm sure their offices are fancy and the e-board has an open bar at their christ party.  Heavens to betsy what a bunch of union corruption.  But I'll ALSO say that in my local's organizing, which is in a right to work state in a local with a bigger battle in front of us than we can afford to fight, is directly subsidized by 1199 NY--- their members kick money to ours, so vegas can build power eventually like theirs have.  I'm always all in favor of cost-cutting and frugality and not giving the center for union facts or anti-union lbo-talk writers more ammunition.  But I find it offensive and laughable that this is what passes for news about unions on this list. Blech. Jim <div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> Message: 8 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 22:34:58 -0700 From: "Steven L. Robinson" <<a href="mailto:srobin21@comcast.net">srobin21@comcast.net</a>> Subject: [lbo-talk] Union top Dennis Rivera: "No one throws a party         like we do" To: < <a href="mailto:progchat_action@yahoogroups.com">progchat_action@yahoogroups.com</a>>, <<a href="mailto:lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org">lbo-talk@lbo-talk.org</a>> Message-ID: <1aef01c6e12d$818bd280$1d18fea9@noir> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="iso-8859-1" Union for poor lives high By Douglas Feiden Staff Writer, New York Daily News The union powerhouse that represents some of the poorest workers in New York City shelled out more than $2 million on parties and out-of-town conferences last year, the Daily News has learned. Local 1199, whose members empty bedpans and scrub toilets in hospitals and nursing homes, spent $465,000 for a summer retreat to Lake Placid for 700 staffers. </blockquote></div>