Posted on 07/19/2004 4:06:06 PM PDT by Libloather
Mayor Urges Democrats to Ignore Pickets
Monday July 19, 2004 6:01 PM
By JENNIFER PETER
Associated Press Writer
BOSTON (AP) - Mayor Thomas Menino is urging delegates to the Democratic National Convention not to be deterred by picket lines set up by police, who are protesting the lack of a contract with the city.
In a letter sent over the weekend, Menino said the picket lines are informational and not an official strike line. Police have promised to post pickets at each of the 29 delegation welcome parties on Sunday and at events Menino attends during the convention next week.
``It's a right they have, but it shouldn't stop anyone from coming to the convention and having a good time, especially at the delegation parties,'' Menino said Sunday.
Menino, who is the official host of each of the welcome parties, sent the letter a week after the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association sent the delegates their own missive. The union's letter asked delegates to respect their picket lines and to boycott the parties and the mayor's address to the convention.
The leaders of at least six state delegations have said they will not cross picket lines to attend the official welcome parties - a decision that Menino says will only harm the small businesses hired to throw the party and the neighborhoods where they are hosted.
Police union officials derided Menino's attempt to depict their planned protests as something less than an official picket line, calling the mayor's letter disingenuous and misleading.
``It's nothing short of propaganda. It's an attempt to deceive the delegates who are walking into a hornet's nest, and he's trying to sugarcoat it,'' said union president Thomas Nee. ``A line is a line. Our line is fully supported by organized labor from around the country.''
The 1,400-member police union has been working without a contract for two years. The union is demanding a 17 percent pay increase over four years, while Menino has offered 11.9 percent.
The new leader of the state labor board called a special meeting Monday to review the contract dispute. Republican Gov. Mitt Romney appointed retired District Court Chief Justice Samuel Zoll to lead the Joint Labor-Management Committee after the board refused to send the dispute to expedited arbitration.
Police picket lines led to a three-day shutdown of construction at the convention site last month and recently deterred hometown candidate John Kerry from addressing the U.S. Mayors Conference in Boston, which Menino hosted.
I'm glad SOMEONE knows the rules here...
Ahhh, the hypocrisy.
Maxine Waters will cross the line in a heartbeat.
I'm sorry, is this about the Olympics in Athens? LOLOL.
Kerry: I made a decision not to cross the picket line before I did!
"Maxine Waters will cross the line in a heartbeat."
Marion Barry will cross the line...but not before at least one attempt to snort it!
He continued: "We will party all night long! We will not give in to Big Labor! Those Union thugs have no control over us! We have important business here, maneuvering fo political power with our two very rich candidates! Those rabble-rousing blue-collar buffoons better step back! We will crush them like ants if we have to!!"
"Although," he went on, "I do expect the union leadership to rally support for us in November."
"Police picket lines led to a three-day shutdown of construction at the convention site last month and recently deterred hometown candidate John Kerry from addressing the U.S. Mayors Conference in Boston, which Menino hosted."
So who will be giving Kerry's acceptance speech for the convention. Perhaps Kerry can do it via satelite - or does that still cross the picket line?
Kerry can't even make up his mind on what line to cross.
I wonder if supermarket lines are a problem for him? ("This line looks the shortest. Opps, that lady has lots of fresh vegetables that will need to be weighed, that line over there might be better. Except she's using a check - that always takes so long...")
"Menino said the picket lines are informational and not an official strike line."
That's okay, he also said that the Convention was informational and not an official Convention since everyone knows Hillary Clinton is actually running for President.
Their hope, not my opinion.
dear old
To save the red we need to reelect President Bush or have the United states entirely pathetic like Mass.
A bunch of taxing liberal govt. can fix anything fools.
Or as libs think elect the gigalo and have him sell The U.S. down the road to the one worlder U.N. saps.
Are you sure, Mr. Mayor?
1.) Take 10,000 emotionally-driven east coast leftists with strong one-subject agendas.
2.) Put them in the most congested city imaginable.
3.) Also, make sure that city was the origin of at least half of the 9/11 planes.
4.) Shut down all major roads.
and then,
5.) Hold the event in the hottest part of the summer.
Yes, I think insulting the police force is a real good idea.
the worst part is, if they win, they will believe they can run rough shod over the citizenry.
both parties think that to an extent, I just like the Idea of individual freedom and initiative then b.s. govt.
The best govt is very small govt.
Also I worked for the U.N. in Korea for a while and the U.N is garbbage.
The reason he said that is because Kerry has already refused to cross a picket line.
"the worst part is, if they win, they will believe they can run rough shod over the citizenry."
Are you kidding? They've been doing that to us in this state for DECADES!! It's the Liberal Masshole rule of law!
Dems eat their own. So delightful to see...
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