On May 11, 2008, at 8:54 PM, Joseph Catron wrote:
> On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 5:26 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
> wrote:
>
>> and attacking us for "hurting the progressive movement" while they
>> are meeting with the Republican leadership of the NY Senate "to help
>> the GOP keep control." (see below)
>
> This is absolutely ridiculous. 1199SEIU has grown into the largest
> and most powerful union in the state BECAUSE it was willing to play
> one party against the other. I won't make new enemies by naming
> names, but those unions that have chosen to remain devoted lapdogs of
> the Democrats have done, to put it charitably, less well for their
> members.
Sorry, been meaning to respond to this.
So the only choice for unions is between Dems and Reps? A union, a group of unions, or a union-supported group like the Working Families Party couldn't challenge weak/bad Dems in primaries?
Aside from that, campaigning to help the Reps retain control of the NYS Senate isn't playing one party against the other in any constructive way. The only reason that Joe Bruno (the Rep leader of the Senate, who controls that body like his Dem counterpart Shelly Silver does the Assembly) supported the state min wage increase in 2004 was because he feared losing some marginal seats, and with them, his majority. With SEIU now helping to reduce that fear, will Bruno support another min wage increase?
Of course, SEIU may thing, fuck the minimum wage workers as long as we get a good contract. New frontiers in business unionism....
Doug