Posted on 12/21/2005 7:48:44 PM PST by NormsRevenge
NEW YORK - The war of words over the transit strike took an ugly turn after Mayor Michael Bloomberg described union heads as "thuggish," a remark some said was racist in the context of a predominantly black union. During his first briefing on the strike Tuesday at City Hall, Bloomberg complained that union leaders had "thuggishly turned their backs on New York City and disgraced the noble concept of public service."
A group of City Council members and black leaders said Wednesday that Bloomberg's comment was racist because it was directed at leaders of a union that is less than 30 percent white.
"We resent the idea that you would characterize a predominantly black and Latino union as a bunch of thugs," said City Councilman Charles Barron.
Ed Skyler, the mayor's spokesman, replied: "It's despicable to inject race into this situation."
Bloomberg has no official role in the labor negotiations, since city subways and buses are managed by the state Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But he is responsible for keeping New York running during the shutdown of the nation's largest transit system.
The Rev. Herbert Daughtry, an influential black minister, said the mayor, governor and MTA leaders were risking comparisons to Eugene "Bull" Connor. The Birmingham, Ala., segregationist police commissioner turned fire hoses and police dogs on black civil rights marchers in 1963.
Daughtry said Bloomberg was using as his "bully club" the state law prohibiting strikes by public employees.
"Be cautious how you use the law to beat people into submission," Daughtry said.
In the past, Barron and Daughtry have used the word "thug" to describe white attackers involved in bias crimes. Barron stressed that the context of the predominantly black union is what made Bloomberg's comment racially insensitive.
Transport Workers Union President Roger Toussaint stopped short of joining the accusations of racism, but said Wednesday that the "thuggish" remark showed the mayor's "lack of respect" for his members.
"We wake up at three and four in the morning to move trains in this town," Toussaint said. "That's not the behavior of thugs and selfish people."
Lower wages and higher taxes. Notice the transit union never asks for their taxes to be lowered. They get taxed at city, state and federal levels on their income. Imagine how much worse they would be if it weren't for Bushs across the board tax cuts. They are ungrateful for those, i'm sure. As we all know, tax cuts are evil!
"There ain't no such thing as organized crime..."
Don't you just love affirmative action?
When they use the comparison to the Selma march, they're really losing.
Calling someone a racist means nothing anymore...the word is completely worn out.
Heheh. I'd pay to see that.
"Be cautious how you use the law to beat people into submission"
Selective enforcement, Rev.? Come down hard on white public employees who strike, but leave minority employees alone, it seems...Comparing Rudy to Bull Connor has to be one of the most asinine things I've ever heard, even from a Democrat. How do these nitwits manage to tie their shoelaces?!
A la Richard Pryor skit...
Black thug!....."Racist!"
Jewish thug!...."Anti Semite!"
" Muslim thug!"...."DEAD INFIDEL!"
Oh brother, what a typo! I meant "comparing BLOOMBERG to Bull Connor"...;)
Yeah, they always seem to focus on the right things!
So what is was Tookie Williams? "A credit to his race?"
Why not judge people by what they do, rather than the color of their skin.
If blacks, Latinos, Asians, Whites, Indians, etc. are thugs, call them thugs.
If blacks, Latinos, Asians, Whites, Indians, etc. are great people, then laud them.
Judge their actions, not the color of their skin.
Come to think about it, wasn't that Dr. King's message?
Hey Folks.... You ever notice that the jobs that anyone can do are quickly turned into union jobs? Now why do you think that is?
Film producers go to Canada to take advantage of a good (though getting worse over time) exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar, and because Canada offers very generous subsidies to Hollywood companies that go up there to film movies.
This whole "racial" and/or "racist" thing has just gone waaaayyy too far.
So WHAT that the union is predominantly "black" and "latino" -- if they're behaving as thugs, they're "thuggish."
THE ACTUAL RACISM is in the response here that concludes that IF you're "black" and/or "latino," you CAN'T be a "thug," cannot behave "thuggish(ly)."
THAT's RACISM. THAT'S a RACIST reality, right there, trying to assert that to be "black" and/or "latino" means you are exempt from bad behavior, or whatever.
If I was to apply this same rule of outrage to and about all races, then it would reduce racial types to non-human characteristics.
If they're thugs, they're behaving "thuggish(ly)" and someone please let me know if being "black" and/or "latino" renders you super-human immunity from bad or problematic behavior.
Okay, try to focus, the largest city in the U.S. is about to be crippled, the whites, the blacks, the latinos, the asians, everybody.
This union is holding the City of NY and the national economy hostage over very mild contract change requests. The city only wants petty little changes like new hires should pay part of the pension and health deal.
This union already gets full retirement at age 55 or after 20 years in, plus full health. They average $55,000+ in wages for easy jobs like ticket sellers, etc. What a deal and they have the guts to illegally strike.
They are THUGS !
I didn't say to avoid union wages. I said "high" NY union wages. No matter how you slice it. It's cheaper in Canada. That was the main point.
I gotta' admit it, the union spokesguy I've seen on television sure does seem like a thug to me.
Because of how he acts and what he says. Not how he "looks."
Maybe the union's thinking that they're ACTUALLY the "Black and Latino Union" members because that's the way they're reactin' here...I tend to think that's why they're upset at this "thuggish" comment, anyway, that they're already of the understanding that they're the "Black and Latino Union."
I'm bettin' that's why the comment upset them so...because they're organized on RACIST TERMS. Conclusion: they're racists. The Union of... is racist.
Anyway, I've heard the average pay for a bus driver is $60k/yr... all drivers should have their pay cut 60% for participating in this stike.
Bring on the union crushing scabs, scabs, scabs.
Ah, the race cannard. No Reagan in Bloomberg.
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