...................................................................................................................................................................
Weingarten endorses Malloy, says Connecticut should not let Koch brothers take it
By Mary E. O'Leary, June 17, 2014
Randi Weingarten, the national president of the American Federation of Teachers, told an enthusiastic group of union members Tuesday that the only way to stop the reach of the conservative Koch brothers and the new restrictions on labor is to re-elect Dannel P. Malloy as governor of Connecticut, and not vote for her friend Jonathan Pelto or Republican Tom Foley.
“The only way to stop the Koch brothers, the only way to change the trajectory, the only way to do this is to start right here, right now in Connecticut by re-electing Governor Dan Malloy,” Weingarten told the delegates to the Connecticut AFL-CIO convention, who jumped to their feet in a standing ovation.
The Koch brothers, Charles G. and David H. Koch, billionaire supporters of libertarian and conservative causes, and Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin, who led the effort to repeal collective bargaining rights over pensions and health care for public employees, are not on the ballot in Connecticut, but labor sees Connecticut as the next battleground between what they represent and the future of unions and the middle class.
The brothers, according to Politico, just announced a new super PAC, Freedom Partners Action Fund, to which they will give $15 million for the midterm elections, part of $290 million for causes they favor.
Weingarten said there are a lot of third party candidates around and one of them “happens to be a dear friend of mine — Jon Pelto. And he has done really good work in terms of calling out what is wrong in a lot of the so-called reform efforts in Connecticut and all across the country.”
“But let’s be real here. Is this about helping out a friend or is this about what we need to do in Connecticut to get back to the American dream?” Weingarten said as she raised her voice and pounded on the podium.
[major snippage]
“Elections are about choices,” she said between a governor who preserved a safety net and a governor “who actually thinks that Scott Walker and his preferences for the Koch brothers and corporations over regular people is the way to go.”
“You know, as well as I do, that Tom Foley ... will have all the money that he needs, all the commercials he needs,” Weingarten said.
“Are we going to let the Koch brothers take another state. Are we going to let Foley Wisconsinize Connecticut?” she asked with the crowd responding, “No.”
Foley, in an appearance before the convention on Monday, said when he referred to a Wisconsin moment in Connecticut, he meant the election of a majority Republican legislature and a GOP governor. He said he has no intention of attempting to change collective bargaining rules, lay off state workers or reopen union contracts on health care and pensions.
Weingarten said the national AFT will work with its locals on deciding where to help candidates with funding in this election.
...................................................................................................................................................................
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment