September 3, 2010

Union intimidation or just guys who don't like each other?

City Councilor Ken Cockayne said Friday that Ward allowed an atmosphere of intimidation at the special council meeting last night.
He said that union leaders put a poster on the wall of the council chambers headlined something akin to “For or Against Labor Wages” and then listing the four Democratic councilors, with boxes beside them marked YES or NO.
When city Councilor Kevin McCauley spoke of the need to delay a decision on a proposed contract, someone got up and marked a big X through the NO box next to McCauley’s name, Cockayne said.
When city Councilor Kate Matthews indicated her support for McCauley’s position, an X was marked in the NO box beside her name, too, according to Cockayne.
As the meeting proceeded, getting ever more heated, union officials began screaming at McCauley, Cockayne said. They yelled “you’re all done” and “you’re through,” said Cockayne and a number of others.
“It got really out of control,” Cockayne said.
Cockayne said Ward “would never have let any other group or person do what was being done last night. Ward would have thrown them out or called the police.”
“Instead, he sat there doing nothing,” Cockayne said.
“It was thug mentality and union intimidation at its finest,” Cockayne said. “We have a lot of great people working at the city. It’s a shame the union leadership is making them look bad.”
The head of Local 233 of Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said the confrontation between the mayor and McCauley should never happened at the meeting.
“They stuck us in the middle. They stuck our contract in the middle,” said Mayra Sampson, the union chief and a former city Democratic Party chair who has worked on Ward’s campaigns.
“They need to settle their respect issues outside” and not in public , she said.
Sampson said that some union people were angry last night.
“When you mess with peoples’ livelihoods, they tend to get upset,” she said.
Cockayne said that he can’t help wondering if Ward got so angry because he had negotiated the deal with Sampson, his last campaign treasurer.
“If this isn’t a conflict of interest, I don’t know what it,” Cockayne said.
But Sampson said the contract terms show that her union “considered the economic times and the city’s financial status.”
She said Local 233 gave up a 3 percent pay hike last year to help out the city – money she doubts the union will ever see again – and is getting just 3.3 percent more over two years now, along with paying more for health care and other measures that will save the city money.
Sampson said the bottom line for the union is that “we’re thankful we have jobs” in these hard times so even though her members are the lowest paid city workers, they didn’t push for more.
She said the proposed deal is “more than fair” for taxpayers and a great deal for the city.
*****
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

That thug mentality / intimidation is merely misconstrued as someones passions to support the hard working families of Bristol.

repeal McCauley in 2011 said...

This is McCauley once again putting a political agenda ove good government.

Anonymous said...

Oooooo..pPoor Kenny...he must have been sooooo scared! Hey Ken...BOO! HAHAHAHA!

Anonymous said...

Sure it is, Art.

Anonymous said...

1:02: Oh, so it's okay to intimidate and act like a thug in the name of supporting Bristol families? Are you kidding me? Ward is not supporting Bristol families. He is undermining and making a huge issue out of nothing all in the name of trying to get back at one person because he has an insecurity problem. As usual it's a double standard when it comes to Ward. Shame on him!

Anonymous said...

Mayra, I heard you were one of the ones yelling at mccauley last night. No one put you in the middle but you and the mayor. It is clear that this was a setup by the mayor to try to make people believe something that wasn't the truth, ie making people think mccauley and others on the council were there to vote against the contract when all mccauley wanted to do was table it so the WHOLE council could look over something that was handed to them that day. If you didn't want to be put in the middle, why did you show up and make a big scene? Let's not pretend it was something other than what it was intended to be ... an attack on one councilman and the disrespect of the rest of the council.

Anonymous said...

Total crap

Anonymous said...

Hey McCauley!

Now you really know what bad "public conduct" is. Serves you right.

I'll bet it's a matter of days (at best) until you come crawling back to the union people on your hand and knees.

McHypocrite said...

It's only be a few days at best until McCauley comes crawling to Mayra and the union people on his hands and knees.

Now he really knows what bad "public conduct" is. Serves him right.

Anonymous said...

4:49 and 4:53 are obviously one and the same person. Pathetic! Mccauley need not crawl to anyone. He did nothing wrong. All he did was ask to table a vote. There's nothing wrong with it. By tabling the vote no one was harmed, no money was taken out of anyone's pocket. This is a non-issue. The mayor should be chastised for his poor handling of this whole matter. Remember that the whole council supported the motion.

Speaking of "bad behavior", Mayra needs to stop taking what the mayor says as gospel. Did she or any of the other union members bother calling McCauley to see if what the Mayor was saying was true? Of course not. This was a planned vicious attack. The truth was never an issue as far as the mayor and the union was concerned.

Anonymous said...

"All he did was ask to table a vote. There's nothing wrong with it"

Yes there is, but naybe if you keep repeating it over and over someone other than you and McCauley will believe it. We don't need these foolish games. Kevin needs to resign, NOW!

Anonymous said...

Ward staged the whole thing - holding those meetings at the bars with the union members Artie is going to come back to bite you in the A@%! Next time I see you leaving the Legion, Sportys or the Elks after drinking for hours I will call the police (and not your son).

City it run by an old man who nothing but a washed up drunk.

sliver of hope? said...

lets see how long this soap opera is drawn out or if it goes away until keven's ego is bruised again.
kevin, ever think about actually becoming a republican instead ogf just acting like one?

Anonymous said...

Funbny how Ward and McCauley were buddy buddy beating up on Stortz, and now they are at each others throats.

Does either one have a clue as to the responsibility of an elecetd official?

Anonymous said...

7:01

What is wrong with tabling the vote? Believe it or not, this is a serious question. I'm not trying to start an argument, just trying to figure out what went on last night. On the surface it sounds like no big deal.

Anonymous said...

"Ward staged the whole thing"

Oh, it ws staged alright, but McCauley's "director" was the one running the show.

Anonymous said...

September 3, 2010 8:59 PM:

McCauley has been practicing "beating up" on members of the minority party in Bristol.

Now he's on to bigger conflicts.

Obviously McCauley is a loose cannon with an attitude problem.

Anonymous said...

And the media beats up on the Tea Party?

what's my name? said...

kevin, when you are asked to give your name at the next council meeting, why don't you just say "ellen" and get it over with?

Odin said...

7:01 pm: Saying "Yes there is, but maybe if you keep repeating it over and over someone other than you and McCauley will believe it" is not going to win you any debating points. It's not much better than "I know you are but what am I?!"

Please tell us exactly what is wrong with postponing a vote on this contract. I'll be right here waiting for your response. Take your time - we won't know that you had to go back to your shop steward to tell you what to say.

Anonymous said...

Serious question again - not trying to start a fight, but honestly I want to know so that I am informed.

What is wrong with postponing the vote until Wednesday?

I feel like I am missing something here, but honestly do not know what it is. Everyone is throwing insults at each other but I still haven't heard why this is so bad. I voted for Kevin and Art last time. I vote party line Dem all the way. I like Art a lot and believe he has done a good job. I know him and Kevin don't see eye to eye on much, but I am honestly confused at how this blew up into such a huge issue. I am afraid it is making us look very bad.

Anonymous said...

Odin:

What's wrong is that this was all a ploy by Zoppo and the zoppo-ites to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery. McCauley postponing the vote was all about chest thumping (as he's probably being groomed by his mentor to run in the next election).

Now I know you're going to get all defensive (we all know whose alter you worship at after all). So, knock your socks off, but I'm not the one who has to go to my boss to ask what to say or do next...that would be Kevin.

Anonymous said...

McCauley just wanted to get Mills on the record on the contract vote

Anonymous said...

poor Kevin,Vote all of them out !!!! Art, Cliff, Ken ,Dave,Kevin if he still running.

Anonymous said...

September 4, 2010 11:32 AM

If what you say is true, wouldn't Ward have been better served by just going along with tabling the vote? Now he has shown significant differences b/t himself and Kevin. He has given him all sorts of good press out of this. On the surface Kevin's position on merely tabling a vote seems pretty unassailable. If Kevin was looking for an opportunity to "chest thump" as you put it, then Ward could have just said, "I understand your view on this. We will table the vote until Wednesday, but I want everyone to be mindful of the time constraints with this issue. Next Agenda Item please....."

The way things went down, the unions look terrible, Ward looks terrible, and if you don't think the GOP is simply standing back allowing us to destroy ourselves from the top down you are foolish. Our party is in a shambles after this one.

Anonymous said...

Mayra, the only person that put you and the union members in a bad position during the meeting was the Mayor. You really can't expect the council to vote on a contract, or anything for that matter, without appropriate time to review the details. 2 days is not enough time. 3 days or one week longer would not have made any difference to the union members. They have waited this long, they can wait a week longer for the sake of due dilligence.

The entire council was on the same page with this. You can't really believe they are all wrong except for Art, can you?

Odin said...

"What's wrong is that this was all a ploy by Zoppo and the zoppo-ites to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery."

Okay, fair enough, but you haven't said how delaying the vote throws a monkey wrench into the machinery. The Democrats are going to approve the contract, we know that, they just wanted to know what was in it first. Reading is not knowing. And Kevin has never been a "chest thumper" so why would he start now, over what would have been a trivial matter if Ward hadn't blown it out of proportion? That doesn't add up.

Anonymous said...

Roberts Rules, which the city follows says:

A motion to table outranks every debatable question, is undebatable, and requires only a majority vote.

The Chair should know that.

With that as a basis, and the fact that the outcome wasknown, why was there ANY discusion, why did they not just move on to the next item?

Would have avoided all the nastiness, pettiness, finger pointing and arguing.

Bill Stortz

Odin said...

Good question, Bill! You really are paying attention. The answer is because no one had made a motion. Technically they should not have been discussing anything without a motion on the floor, but they don't follow Roberts that closely. Note that the item was not "tabled", it was "postponed". Therese Pac, the City Clerk and de facto parliamentarian for the Council started insisting they do that several years ago.

Anonymous said...

2 day is enought time for them to read what the contract was dave could have left his vote with kevin or somebody else and voted on that day what is the promblem is that correct insaying Steve.

Anonymous said...

8:28 a.m. - you must be one of Ward's more intelligent advisers. That rant made about as much sense as he did at the last council meeting.

Dump Matthews and McCauley 2011 said...

O-Dumb:

You said it all, "The Democrats are going to approve the contract, we know that, they just wanted to know what was in it first".

Why would they really need to know it before voting if they were going to rubber stamp it anyway?

This is a case in point for how worthless Kate Matthews and Kevin McCauley are....regardless.

And your statement shows (if true) that this move by McCauley/Matthews/Zoppo was just an attack on Art Ward. Attacking people is something Zoppo is famous for and McCauley is becoming adept at as well.

Remove the Union Heads and Democrats said...

Let's see, Ward negotiates contracts with his personal treasurer. Ward parades around on Election Day in a car donated by Crowley and driven by Mike Petosa, head of the Labor Union. Petosa organizes the party celebration following the election, after a long day of driving Art around in the donated Chrysler 300C from Crowley.

WHY ISN'T ANYONE QUESTIONING THE ETHICS OF WARD AND THESE UNIONS DESTROYING BRISOL?!? STEVE, WAKE UP AND START UNCOVERING THE TRUTH!

Heck even the council is trying to do the right thing in reviewing all contracts and agreements. Enough is enough, and this non-sense going on in City Hall is sickening.

To counter the union's list of who needs to vacate office, let me include the following individuals who Bristol, CT, and the US need to get rid of ASAP:

Art Ward
Tom Colapietro
Chris Wright
John Larson
Barack Obama
Nancy Pelosi
Harry Reid
Dan Malloy
Chris Murphy
Joe Courtney
Richard Blumenthal

Wow, doesn't thinking of all those "leaders" being removed from office make you feel hopeful for a better city, state and country? Sure does for me

dump these first said...

9:17 AM:

I'd agree, but on your list you forgot to add:

Kevin "I'm my boss' boss" McCauley
Kate Matthews aka Bruce Suchinski
Zopp-Sass

Anonymous said...

9:17 AM: You really should attempt to get your facts straight before you shoot your mouth off.

Anonymous said...

Is it not just about time for Alford et al to come out with another of her THUG letters?

Anonymous said...

1:34 - My party affiliation is about as evident as the unions' ties to the Democrats. Only difference is I want what's best for the citizens of Bristol (union employees included), not what's best for Mike Petosa and his group of shady friends.

1:43 - Facts are straight, maybe you should open your eyes to the ethics violations committed by Ward and his cronies. Ward already committed serious campaign financing violations that he was called out on, and his treasurer paid dearly. Lake Compounce revenue sharing towards his campaign fundraising ring a bell???

Anonymous said...

3:19 poster,

Starting too look like Alfords "thug letters" are looking like the truth. How dear someone quesion the unions. Your day's are all done.

Petosa needs to work on his Napoleon complex. Guess it makes him feel like a big man when he raises is voice.

Anonymous said...

5:02 PM,

I know at least 2 of your so-called "facts" are (in fact) fiction. But hey, don't let a little thing like that stop you. It never does.

Anonymous said...

Is Mary going to follow up on 5:02?

Or TJ Barnes going to follow up?

Or are they waiting until 2011?

Anonymous said...

11:04 This blog and you should be dumped. But how do you dump a hidden coward? "Useless " as usual! I can find no purpose for a nobody. This blog is nothing but a place for adolesents to play.

ain't nobody? said...

6:42 - and you are - "somebody", "anybody" or "nobody?"
wanna play, your turn?