Next Step, No Step

I commend Councilors Tom Jones, Brian Derrivan, and Bob Cronin for bringing the city's case against the IBEW 103 union to a higher authority, as reported in today's Daily News.

I don't see how the AFL-CIO's Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council would intercede on the city's behalf, since IBEW protesters' behavior is inline with the Council's overall mission "to mobilize against anti-union employers, work on community issues, recruit and support candidates who champion working families, and organize grassroots political action to push for adoption of worker-friendly initiatives and policies on a national, state and local level."

Still, it was worth a shot.

But I'm not sure the councilors' refusal to accept an endorsement from IBEW is really any big deal. First of all, they're all running unopposed so the political risk is minimal. Second, where's the political value in such an endorsement since the community overall seems to have nothing but contempt for the group's tactics.

Are they also going to refuse to accept the endorsements of Derek Jeter and Rex Ryan?

Honestly, the best thing we all can do is just ignore the union guys until they go away, and they will. Every article published and letter written just adds fuel to fire.

They want to rent an office here? Fine. They want to stand on Market Square with the rat? Fine by me. They're not breaking any laws and they're certainly not garnering any support from the locals.