This year, several labor leaders stood in Peter Shumlin's office, seeking help with a bill that passed the House and would ensure people's homes are protected against faulty workmanship, house fires and even death.
Shumlin said, “You stood with the enemy [businesses and supporters of Vermont Yankee], and now you're in here asking me for my help? You're [expletive starting with f].” He said this in front of leaders of Vermont labor organizations, including my own.
Union leaders must stand up for our members and not allow Peter Shumlin to strip us of our dignity. It is not just the angry, crude language; it is the assumption that we must always do what he wants or pay the price. I cannot imagine any union representative settling for these ground rules in advance.
Organized labor has always supported the Democratic Party with funding and elbow grease. I will no longer settle for false promises. Shumlin says he's about jobs and can get the tough thing done. Then he cuts 800 state employees and spearheads eliminating another 1,200 jobs by closing Vermont Yankee, adding an additional $10 million dollars to the $114 million deficit.
Our work gives us dignity because we care for ALL workers. Therefore I would rather establish new relationships, than be enslaved by Shumlin's political demands. What else are we but slaves if we concede to a high-handed “public servant”?