AFL/CIO President Bill Londrigan wrote to Governor Beshear asking that he not choose Jerry Abramson as his running based on the Mayor's labor record.
Below is the full transcript of Londrigan's letter.
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July 9, 2009
Governor Steve Beshear
Commonwealth of Kentucky
Capitol Building
Frankfort, KY 40601
Dear Governor Beshear:
News reports and information gleaned from conversations with various parties indicates that you are considering Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson as your Lt. Governor running mate for the 2010 gubernatorial election.
On behalf of the Executive Board and affiliates of the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, I am writing to express our strong opposition to Mayor Abramson for Lt. Governor.
Mayor Abramson has established a long record of antipathy towards organized labor, both during his tenure as Mayor of Louisville as well as the merged Metro Government.
Unions that have contracts with Louisville Metro have long experienced unsatisfactory relations with the Abramson administration. These unions include: AFSCME, IBEW, SEIU, Teamsters, IAFF and FOP.
Additionally, Mayor Abramson has vetoed ordinances passed by the Louisville Metro Council that would have provided for a Project Labor Agreement on the Arena Project and, more recently, Mayor Abramson vetoed an ordinance that would have established labor standards on projects receiving incentives from Metro Louisville.
Both of these ordinances had the strong backing of the Greater Louisville Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions.
In consideration of Mayor Abramson’s long record of opposing organized labor and the strong opposition from among your supporters in organized labor, we respectfully request that you choose a running mate that has the support and confidence of organized labor – not one that opposes our programs and principles.
Sincerely,
Bill Londrigan
President |
