Contrary to the belief that all unions are rooted in DFL politics, never has it been true that the police and fire federations have ever been connected to that party. They've definitely never been a part of the AFL-CIO, and only occasionally have police and fire members operated as a local of the Teamsters union. Moreover, federations are just that. Federations. I'm not certain about the status of public safety federations as official unions under the NLRB rules. I admit I could be wrong about that, but that was certainly the case in many cities where such federations were formed.
The political connections between labor unions and the Democratic party have grown very tenuous, especially the differences between the politics of the building trades unions (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, sheet-rockers, tapers, painters, etc.) and service employees unions (SEIU, AFSCME, H.E.R.E., etc.). Since 1972 - when rank-and-filers voted overwhelmingly for George Wallace in several state primaries, for Republicans Nixon in the General and for Reagan and the two Bushes, union leadership has had little control over the rank and file's voting patterns. The better off union members have become, the more conservative they've been voting, forming interesting collaborations with their employers - developers, builders and construction companies - believing that's the road to more jobs. Nationally, the Teamsters long ago abandoned Democrats with the only exception being the temporary support of Clinton in 1996. Locally, several teamsters have remained in the DFL, but the rank and file continue to vote Republican. Rank and file police officers and firefighters vote overwhelmingly for Republicans and other conservatives. Thus it is gross generalization to assume that labor is equal to DFL and vice versa. The long-standing link long ago dissolved...and not to the benefit of either side or the public at-large, I might add. But in doing this, labor has also lost most of its clout in electing and lobbying those most friendly to its agenda. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul -------- > From: "Shawn Lewis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 06:27:25 -0500 > In many ways, outgoing Minneapolis police chief > remains an outsider > > Rochelle Olson and David Chanen, Star Tribune > > Published October 27, 2003 > http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4176360.html > [truncated for space] > Article: > Attorney Robert Bennett often represents plaintiffs > in suits against the police. Bennett said Olson > isn't the problem; it's the union. > > Response: > Hmm-"its the union". I wonder could these union members > support the Democratric-Farmer-Labor (DFL).Which in turn > support DFL city council members? > > Article: > As he sees it, the internal affairs unit is staffed > by union officers who are interested in absolving > officers, not finding the truth. "Olson has been > the enemy of the union," Bennett said. "The union > has been the enemy of good police work in Minnesota." > > Current union boss Sgt. John Delmonico said that if > Bennett's assertion is true, then it's Olson's > fault. The federation will back the firing of any > officer if the termination is rightful. Delmonico > said the union has supported four of the last > five firings. > > Response: > I don't know if the internal affairs unit is staffed by > officers, however, some people do not have much faith > in this unit (police investigating police hence, civil > review authority). Wow, union has supported four of the > last five firings. Are the four officers still on the force? > > > Shawn Lewis, Field Neighborhood REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
