Excellent Post Sir.
After Sept. 11, 2001, unions flexed the muscle between their ears and just like that, volunteers were turned away from NYC - particularly non-union volunteers. When altogether, it was/is *our* fight, not something that is "an event production" for the politico-producers to pick and choose which unions and bench warmers will be in the cast.
Now, just like the days and weeks after 9-11, we find that a different and extremely-"liberal" mayor of NYC wants to have his marathon, about which Forbes has a column that instead, the race should be canceled; but the mayor needs volunteers.
Unfortunately, the unions are already rejecting non-union volunteer utility repair crews, so what the mayor apparently wants is *union volunteers,* because certainly he would not ban non-union utility repair crews but allow non-union volunteers for his marathon?!
It all begs the question - hypothetically speaking, of course:
If NYC was inundated by a surge of the ocean, caused by a hurricane, and all around the city, across all the bridges, there were 2 - 5 miles of non-union volunteers backed up at the bridges, with everything that the residents of the damaged areas need --- just compile their wish lists this very moment and add police and fire rescue and utility repair and medical help --- would the "enlightened liberals" and "working unions" of the city, please permit all those non-union volunteers ... to help?
Unfortunately, it turns out again, that the leftists are more afraid of losing control and power over what *they* want politically, than they are afraid of their neighbors being barred from the many things of need.