Prince George's Labor War, Part 2

(Posted 19 Aug 2008)

---

Prince George’s Labor War, Part Two.
Maryland Politics Watch, 19 Aug 2008 (Adam Pagnucco).

Dissatisfied with anti-union statements made by the leaders of the Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee (PGCDCC), the Metropolitan Washington AFL-CIO sent an ultimatum to every politician in the county: sign a pro-labor pledge or lose labor’s support in the next election. How did the politicians react?

Publicly, mostly with silence. Only five politicians actually signed the pledge: Delegates Barbara Frush, (D-21), Ben Barnes (D-21), Ann Healy (D-22), Doyle Niemann (D-47) and Veronica Turner (D-26), who is an SEIU staffer. But District 24 Delegate Joanne Benson sent this stinging letter back to the central labor council:
* * *
First, PGCDCC is nearly irrelevant. As Delegate Benson notes, it is utterly dominated by the county’s State Senators and cannot even discharge its sole responsibility – filling legislative vacancies – with any semblance of dignity.
* * *
[Full message]

Labor vs. Central Committee in Prince George's.
Free State Politics, 19 Aug 2008 (Eric Luedtke).