The head of a union for 20,000 city workers says he may fight back against proposals to trim union pay and benefits by running for mayor in 2013.
Gregory Floyd, head of Teamsters Local 237, told the Daily News he's talking with other union heads and some business leaders about running as the candidate representing the poor and middle class. "What could create the opening is what's going on in Wisconsin," Floyd said. "It may be time for a labor candidate."
Floyd said pols from here to Wisconsin are trying to balance their budgets on hourly workers rather than the Wall Street investors and bankers whose recklessness caused the crash.
"We have not gotten our fair share, with the millionaire's tax being eliminated, CEOs escaping the tax burden and the entire financial crisis falling on working men and women," Floyd said.
Floyd, 48, would face a crowded field in 2013: Contenders include former Controller William Thompson, Rep. Anthony Weiner, Controller John Liu, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
Given that big business owns so many of the names on the list of potential mayoral candidates, it would be nice to see somebody representing working and middle class people who wouldn't reflexively demonize union members.
Let's not forget how Christine Quinn paved the way for Mayor Moneybags to run for a third term. She should pay for the contempt in which she held voters.
ReplyDeleteQuinn is scum. She is such a phony that I don't know how anybody ever looks her in the face without laughing at her.
ReplyDeleteYet, she was not held to pay and held on to her seat on the Council.
ReplyDeleteWithout Quinn Bloomberg's third term would not have been possible. Imagine, we might be dealing with a somewhat reasonable facsimile of a human being. Instead, three more years of Bloomberg debasing and degrading teachers almost at will. All those who respect democracy and decency should do all they can do within the law to insure that this backstabbing woman never again hold political office of any kind.
ReplyDeleteWhile Quinn is scum, so are many unions. Many unions are associated with Working Families Party (which supports Quinn and the equally horrendous Scott Stringer) and which is a tool for developers and landlords. The unions made deals with Bloomberg on the West Side Stadium, Atlantic Yards, Columbia expansion and other real estate boondoggles that will force people out of their homes.
ReplyDeleteWhen Quinn was busted for allocating millions of dollars to fake charities and then doling them out in exchange for political favors, the scandal destroyed her chances of becoming Mayor in '09. She therefore strong armed the City Council into extending term limits, which would give the public four years to forget about the slush funds before she runs for Mayor in 2013. Those of us who know the truth about Quinn will never let the public forget about all of the lies surrounding the slush fund scandal, the campaign corruption, the term limits fiasco, her abuse of the City's discretionary funds to control votes and strip the Council of democracy, her decision to rubber stamp an NYPD rule restricting NYers freedom of assembly, etc.
ReplyDelete