"Patrick seeks to cement union ties; But warns he’s not ‘governor of labor’" by Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | September 7, 2010
Related:
"As for labor, they realize Patrick will be the target of much of their anger. But they note that labor has always been lukewarm to Patrick and did not play a significant role in his landslide victory four years ago"
HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!
He just CUT YOU LOOSE, LABOR!!!
Governor Deval Patrick, seeking to shore up an uneasy relationship with organized labor, highlighted his administration’s record of helping unions and their members yesterday but struck a defiant tone, saying he would not pander for their support....
He finally found you again after four years.
Patrick received strong union support when he campaigned four years ago but has raised labor’s ire by supporting civilian flaggers instead of police officers at some traffic sites, pushing for charter schools, and opposing plans to allow slot machines at racetracks.
Officials at IBEW 103, a Dorchester union local that represents about 7,500 people in the electrical and telecommunications industry, said yesterday that they are not endorsing Patrick because he did not sign the gambling bill....
The governor is facing three challengers, Republican Charles D. Baker, the former head of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, independent Timothy P. Cahill, the state treasurer, and Green-Rainbow party candidate Jill Stein.
The latest polls of likely voters suggest that Patrick is running slightly ahead of Baker, with Cahill well behind in third place.
The candidates are facing off in a televised debate tonight on WBZ-TV at 7.
Maybe I'll watch.
(I did not, sorry)
Yesterday, Baker attended a Labor Day breakfast in Worcester, sponsored by the city’s Republican committee, where he voiced support for lower taxes and reduced government spending to spur economic growth and help residents pay their bills....
In an interview later in the day, Baker said people are increasingly frustrated by rising taxes, persistent unemployment, and the state’s yawning budget deficit.
“They think Beacon Hill has different rules than everyone else,’’ he said. Baker said he is not courting unions, but concentrating on winning the support of individual voters....
Support from labor could be important to Patrick’s reelection bid, but yesterday he made it clear that he would not bow to union demands....
Then he is in HUGE TROUBLE!
Patrick received polite but not overly warm applause.
Yet the governor enjoyed clear support in the overwhelmingly Democratic audience, many of whom wore his campaign stickers. Outside the hotel, where supporters lined street corners, union workers chanted: “Patrick-Murray is the way to go. Hey, hey! Ho, ho!’’
Can't the pathetic wretches think of something better to say?
*******
In a phone interview, Stein criticized Patrick’s economic policies and called for more government investment in alternative energy and green technologies to create long-term economic growth.
“The Patrick administration has really been a train wreck for working families,’’ she said.
--more--"
"Teachers union seeks Patrick’s reelection" by James Vaznis, Globe Staff | July 13, 2010
The state’s largest teachers union, which has clashed with Governor Deval Patrick over his efforts to overhaul public education, said yesterday it would support him for a second term....
Many union leaders and teachers had voiced discontent over Patrick, whom they helped get elected in 2006, during legislative debate over a new education law favored by Patrick.
I don't think he is going to win this time out.
They opposed provisions that allow superintendents to renegotiate union contract provisions at underperforming schools and that double the number of seats at charter schools, which usually do not employ union teachers.
But Patrick’s overall record on public education swayed directors to support him again, said Anne Wass, the association’s president.
Translation: they had no other choice.
They were pleased by Patrick’s insistence on protecting education aid to school districts in an era of massive state budget-cutting and his success in advocating that millions in federal stimulus dollars be devoted to education.
The directors also were impressed with Patrick’s willingness to consult union leaders and teachers on school overhaul efforts, though the two sides sometimes disagreed, Wass said....
--more--"Also see: Patrick's Pitfalls
