November 3, 2008

AFL-CIO urges Bristol to vote no on COO and state constitutional convention

Press release from Council 4 of the AFL-CIO:

Council 4 Union Urging Bristol Members to Vote “No” on COO and Constitutional Convention Questions
 
            New Britain, CT – Council 4, Connecticut’s largest AFL-CIO union, is recommending that its members who live in Bristol vote “No” on two ballot questions:
·       Create a Chief Operating Officer position (Question 5).
·       Hold a convention to amend or revise the state constitution (Question 1).
            According to Kevin Murphy, Council 4’s Director of Collective Bargaining and Organizing, “We represent more than 800 members who live and pay taxes in Bristol. Our members understand that you don’t throw good money after bad. Funding a well-paid bureaucrat with no accountability would only squander precious tax dollars better spent on education, economic development and public services.”
            Council 4 also opposes the constitutional convention ballot initiative that has been championed by anti-union extremists.
            “Supporters of this ballot question want to open up our constitution to undermine workers worker protections and force their extremist agenda on the citizens,” said Council 4 spokesman Larry Dorman. “A constitutional convention would be wasteful. How can you justify spending $13 million on a convention when there’s budget deficit approaching $300 million?”
            Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, represents 35,000 workers in state and local government and the private sector. To learn more, go to www.council4.org.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

While I believe my opinion on the COO is well known,I would also like to voice my opposition to a Constitutional Convention.This would only serve as another means for monority special interests to impose their "minority" views on the populace.I would hope voters make the connection between this call for a Convention and the recent ruling by (7) judges approving gay marriage.What issue will these "holier than thou" individuals want to take on next?In sentence #1 the republicans scream about how we need to do something about the deficit and then in sentence#2 they want to spend millions of taxpayers dollars holding a Constitutional Convention.Don't believe you can have it both ways.Once again I don't believe it's coincedence this proposal appears right after the ruling on gay marriage.While I am not a proponent of the gay/lesbian lifestyle,I have to ask;"do we really want to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on what is for the large majority of us a non-issue?"

Anonymous said...

I posted the phone numbers for cockayne, minor, ken johnson and craig yarde but doesn't seem like steve is going to allow them to be on-site but everyone who has questions on this coo thing as presented by these guys should look up their phone numbers and give them a call.
all the numbers are listed in the phone book and they all we each of you an explanation on this.

Anonymous said...

A yes vote for COO is a no vote for Unions!!

Anonymous said...

A no vote for the COO is a yes vote for the citizens of Bristol!

VOTE NO COO!!!

Anonymous said...

NO COO - save the taxpayers and the city

NO COO - the truth, no more lies

NO COO - the start of a new beginning

NO COO - 12 months and we get rid of cockayne and minor

NO COO - send the orange shirted ken johnson home with the red face of embarrassment

NO COO - send craig yarde back to yarde metals

Anonymous said...

Vote yes for the Constitutional Convention. Yes, marriage is between a man and a woman, and yes, we need to reform binding arbitration that is bankrupting all our cities and towns.