"Veteran union leader retiring; AFL-CIO’s Haynes leaves amid crisis in labor movement" by Michael Levenson, Globe Staff / June 1, 2011
Robert J. Haynes, the longtime president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, announced yesterday that he will step down in the fall, prompting soul-searching about the future of the labor movement and a potential fight for succession.
A tough-talking former ironworker who has led the state’s largest labor group since 1998, Haynes is a powerful and divisive figure, influential in elections but prone to strident rhetoric, some of which has alienated his allies in the Democratic Party. His departure follows a series of historic defeats at the State House this spring....
Related: New Rules For Unions in Massachusetts
Haynes’s decision, while a shock to some union leaders, was not a surprise to others, who said he felt worn out after suffering painful setbacks.
Recently, he failed to persuade the overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature to drop its bid to cut the collective bargaining rights of municipal employees in an effort to save money for cash-strapped cities and towns. He also angered some Democrats with his vow to oust lawmakers who voted for the bill.
I have been giving this quite a bit of thought and IF MASSACHUSETTS had ELECTED a REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR like I suggested, we would NOT BE HAVING this DISCUSSION!
Think about it. The DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATURE would NEVER have sent this over to a REPUBLICAN governor so he could claim political victory. Or if they did it would totally expose them as nothing different.
The law of unintended consequences works in mysterious ways, huh?
“It’s a done deal for our relationship with the people inside that chamber,’’ he declared after the House approved the bill in April.
Where else you gonna go?
Haynes was also criticized this spring for accepting nearly $73,000 to serve on the board of the nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as the board approved an $11 million severance package for its chief executive, Cleve Killingsworth.
Related: The Eight-Million Dollar Escape
The Culture of Blue Cross
Haynes’s payment was seen as a potential conflict of interest and an embarrassment for a labor leader who frequently rails against the pay of chief executives.
What you come to realize is many leaders of labor are no better than the bosses. Just protecting their position while rubbing elbows.
“I think he’s tired,’’ said David J. Holway, president of the National Association of Government Employees, who said he had urged Haynes to stay on as president. “There’s no good time to get out, but he’s reached that point in his life when he wants to smell the roses.’’
I'm smelling something all right.
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