By Colin Campbell 2/22 3:34pm

Comptroller Roller

(Photo: Getty)

Scott Stringer’s Endless Endorsement Pile Grows With 1199

While the big labor unions and elected officials have mostly stayed mum on the mayoral race so far, the same can’t be said for the citywide race for comptroller. Accordingly, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, currently unopposed, continues to amass endorsement after endorsement in his bid, a long list of which you can view below. The latest arrived today in the form of the influential 1199 SEIU.

“When it comes to fighting to make sure hard working New Yorkers have good paying jobs and access to quality healthcare, Scott has been in the corner of working families throughout his career,” George Gresham, the union’s president, said in a statement. “It is why we enthusiastically support him as the next New York City Comptroller.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 2/11 10:00am

Schoolhouse Rock

Councilman Robert Jackson (Photo: Facebook)

Robert Jackson’s Manhattan Beep Bid Endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers

Councilman Robert Jackson has racked up the endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers in his bid to be Manhattan’s next borough president. UFT President Michael Mulgrew announced the endorsement, which was voted on by the members of the teacher’s union, in a statement today.

“For more than 30 years, Robert Jackson has fought for New York City’s public school children and has been their champion and advocate,” Mr. Mulgrew said. “He understands personally the power of education and has fought to make sure every child has the chance for the best education possible.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 1/25 9:28am

People

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg Says He’s ‘Sympathetic to People Who Want to Keep Their Jobs’

On his weekly radio show this morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg discussed the city’s ongoing bus driver strike and waxed philosophical about the nature of public employee unions. And, while explaining the inherent challenges in cutting certain government services, the mayor made sure to extend empathic concern to those on the opposite side of the negotiating table.

“Municipal unions have always had great support from the legislators, whether they are city, state or even federal unions,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “You see the post office–which loses a fortune–they can’t cut back the number of post offices and workers. [This is] partially because every town wants to keep their post office, but partially because there are a lot of jobs involved. I’m sympathetic to people who want to keep their jobs.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 12/07/12 4:46pm

CWA

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Cablevision Accuses Union of Disrupting Cancer Charity Event

Last night, members of the Communications Workers of America Union distributed flyers calling Cablevision CEO James Dolan an “Ebenezer Scrooge” outside the annual holiday fundraiser for the Lustgarten Foundation, a pancreatic cancer charity supported by the company. Cablevision released a statement about the situation this afternoon calling the union’s activities at the event “shameful” and accusing CWA of numerous other misdeeds.

“This benefit was about curing pancreatic cancer. For the CWA union to interfere with this important effort is a new low for a union that has already tried to exploit Hurricane Sandy, intimidate employees and mislead other unions,” the statement said. “It is deeply offensive to not only Cablevision employees and customers, but also to cancer sufferers and their families.” Read More

By Christopher Brennan 9/24/12 10:24pm

Bros

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg Stands By His Rahm

Though the bluster of the Chicago teacher strike calmed down last week, the tensions between teacher’s unions and prominent mayors have not ceased. For his part, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is siding with his Second City counterpart, Rahm Emanuel, who pushed for changes to Chicago’s public school system despite opposition from the local teacher’s unions. Mr. Bloomberg discussed the situation this morning at NBC’s third annual Education Nation Summit at the Bartos Forum of the New York Public Library.

“I think Rahm Emanuel, the mayor of Chicago, was quite right to move towards a longer school day,” he said. “I also think Rahm was right in pushing towards evaluations as a reform that the Obama administration made as part of Race to the Top.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 7/18/12 6:52pm

Beef

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver

Silver Spokesman: James O’Keefe’s Latest Video ‘Doesn’t Even Rise to The Level of A Comic Strip’

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s office is not impressed with James O’Keefe’s latest hidden camera video. Mr. O’Keefe, a controversial conservative activist, posed as an executive with a do-nothing company in the clip and met with a pair of union officials in New York asking whether they could use their political connections to help him secure environmental grants for simply digging and re-filling holes in the dirt. The men Mr. O’Keefe spoke to, John Hutchings of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, former assemblyman Ronald Tocci and Mr. Tocci’s brother, Anthony Tocci, describe how they have lobbyists who help them “push our agenda through.” They specifically name several elected officials they claim are friendly to them; Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressmen Eliot Engel and Jerry Nadler and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Mr. Silver’s spokesman, Michael Whyland, told us Mr. O’Keefe’s video shouldn’t be treated as serious journalism.

“This is not reporting. This is not journalism. It doesn’t even rise to the level of a comic strip. This is the kind of stuff that gives honest reporters a bad name,” Mr. Whyland said. Read More

By Hunter Walker 7/18/12 11:44am

Candid Camera

James O'Keefe posing as a government contractor in his new video. (Photo: YouTube)

James O’Keefe Takes on Shelly Silver, NY’s Unions And Lawmakers In Incriminating New Video

The latest video from controversial conservative provocateur James O’Keefe’s “Project Veritas” implies unions and several big name New York politicians are colluding to earn state and federal contracts for do-nothing companies purporting to hire for so-called “environmental jobs.”

In the clip, Mr. O’Keefe portrays an executive for a business that literally digs ditches and fills them back up with more dirt. He visits with John Hutchings, whom he describes as a “director” of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, and former assemblyman Ronald Tocci and another man who apparently discuss how easy it is for them to use their lobbyists and political connections to get cash for businesses.

“When we go for a bill, you know, you’ve got to get approval of the Senate, and the Assembly and then the Governor’s got to sign that. We have a lobbyist for the Senate [Republicans], and we have a lobbyist for the Democrats and that’s how we try to push our agenda through,” Mr. Hutchings says in the video.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/30/12 3:51pm

Loyalty

Christine Quinn making her exit from the living wage rally. (Photo: Colin Campbell)

RWDSU Prez Defends Christine Quinn For Standing By Her Mayor

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn won’t tolerate anyone messing with Mayor Bloomberg and Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, doesn’t want messing with Ms. Quinn for angrily leaving this morning’s rally celebrating the upcoming vote to pass the living wage bill after someone mocked the mayor.

Ms. Quinn made her exit from morning’s rally on the City Hall steps when someone shouted a crack about “Pharaoh Bloomberg.” Mr. Appelbaum, who was in attendance at the awkward rally, leapt to the Speaker’s defense this afternoon with a press release reminding people of her role in getting the living wage bill vote passed in the first place.

“Make no mistake, there would be no living wage law bill without the Speaker,” Mr. Appelbaum said. “Even though Chris may have left the rally after declaring her support for the bill, the most important thing for us to remember is that thousands of new Yorkers will receive higher wages because she had the courage to stand up and pass the living wage law.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 4/03/12 4:13pm

Protests

TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen. (Photo: YouTube)

TWU, Occupy Wall Street And Working Families Party Plan To ‘Reclaim Public Transit’ Tomorrow

The Transit Workers Union Local 100 is holding a daylong “reclaim public transit” event tomorrow in conjunction with Occupy Wall Street and the Working Families Party, against the backdrop of their protracted contract negotiationswith the Metropolitan Transit Authority. According to the statement announcing the event, it is designed to “highlight funding and infrastructure needs of public transportation across the nation” and “raise awareness about how public transit supports good jobs, sustainable communities, a greener environment and reduced consumption of oil.” Tomorrow’s event will include a pair of press conferences as well as leafleting and petitions calling on the MTA to “reoccupy” underutilized buildings in Downtown Brooklyn in order to cut costs. Read More

By Hunter Walker 3/22/12 4:41pm

Tier VI

Mayor Bloomberg (Photo: Getty)

Bloomberg And Cuomo Donate To Somos After Unions Withdraw Support

After a group of unions angry over the passage of the Tier VI pension reform plan pulled support from the Somos El Futuro’s annual Legislative Conference, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave the organization a pair of hefty donations.

“We think the unions’ actions are unfortunate, and don’t want the conference to suffer as a result. We both support the Somos El Futuro Conference and, as such, we will be donating $72,000 to Somos El Futuro and the scholarship to make up for the donations that the unions withdrew,” the mayor and governor said in a joint statement. Read More