Labor View

The following is editorial comment and is the express view of the writer

Mr. Andrew J Rudnick

Buffalo Partnership

E-Mail arudnick1@thepartnership.org.

Dear Mr. Rudnick,

My comments to you are as a result of a message that came to me regarding your feeling of being mad as hell! Funny you should use as Union a union saying to express your feeling because we feel the very same way.

We in the Union Movement feel we are being totally ignored by business in general and when we do speak to you it falls on deaf ears. When something does happen that is a plus for our area you people take all the credit for it. If it hadn't been for the unions and the communities in Niagara Falls that Air Base would be gone. Our unions, Politicians and community groups fought like hell to keep that air base. If it had been left up to the NFTA and others like them, they would have bulldozed that base under. One of the big reasons why businesses have left our area is the give aways of local IDA's; when the incentives are gone they move on without any restrictions being placed on them when they are gone.

There is no negotiating between labor and your partnership because you don't include us in any. Also its good to see a political party that finally takes up the issues of the little guy instead of catering to big business. Without a good labor workforce and decent wages most of our people who lose their jobs move on or go on welfare (social services)

As far as the compensation issue goes maybe they should change the laws so people hurt on the job can sue an employer whenever they do get hurt, there would be more lawyers staying in the Buffalo Area if that happened. I have a hard time with your looking at a disabled worker and saying they don't deserve being compensated for being hurt on the job and not being able to sue their possibly negligent employer which we are seeing more of everyday.

Maybe your board should sit down with local labor leaders and ask them why they fight so hard to keep the labor laws on the book and why they want a decent wage to keep their families in good health.

My opinion of your partnership is you need to bring good business into Buffalo and Western N.Y. and stop beating up on good paying tax payers like me every time you lose a good business to another state or outsource our jobs to Dimestore Contractors.

And buy the way get rid of the Control Board who continues to operate at our expense and does nothing for the city, the same holds true for the County Control Board as well.

My last question to you Mr. Rudnick, have you ever been hurt on the job or suffered a disability that you haven't been compensated for. Finally I would like to be earning your salary and have your healthcare benefits and I wouldn't have to be out in the streets protesting or lobbying politicians to keep whatever I have left.

So enclosing, we are mad as hell and won't take it anymore

Earl A. Frampton CWA Retiree