WNYC - News - Twenty Unions Form Labor Coalition
NEW YORK, NY June 23, 2006 —Twenty labor unions representing more than 170,000 city workers have banded together in a new coalition, pledging to bargain together to preserve their benefits.

REPORTER: Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten says the unions are worried about the nation-wide trend of cutting healthcare and pensions.

WEINGARTEN: And what has happened is that you have a lot of people behind me who have been watching this, thinking about it and very much believe collective action is the way we can create fairness.

REPORTER: Mayor Bloomberg hasn’t said if the city will recognize the new labor coalition. But on his WABC radio show this morning, he said “one size fits all” fits no one, suggesting the 20 labor unions have different work rules and might not be served by working together.

The nation-wide trend of cutting healthcare and pensions is being caused by your outrageous demands which are putting businesses and governments on the verge of bankruptcy?

I hate to break the news to you people, but we can no longer afford to pay for your healthcare and pensions anylonger especially when we are only looking at social security to survive when we retire.

The airline industry is only able to survive because some of the unions have realized they need to give a little and stop taking so much. Governments and the politicians raise taxes to continue to pay your demands. It has put many people into the position that they could no longer afford to live here and have moved. 22,000 have left in the past 5 years.

We of course have no choice, the political class in local and state governments bow to your commands, it’s now time for the people to step up and make the politicians bow to our commands.

Unions need to start giving back to the people that have been paying their salaries, pensions and healthcare for decades. This is not your fathers government anylonger.