Boston DNC Convention 2004
Anatomy of an inevitable taxpayer mugging
Page 9
Introduction
Citizens'
inconvenience and business
loss will be only the beginning of this partisan political
boondoggle, the Democratic National Committee's 2004 convention.
Direct costs of outright taxpayer subsidies, indirect
costs imposed by public employee unions
pressure, and implied or perhaps
explicit quid pro quo benefits to corporate large donors are just as
inevitable as "cost
overruns" were to the Big Dig -- as we predicted back in the
mid-80s.
This is, after all, Massachusetts. The DNC couldn't
have picked a better sucker.
In the end, Democrat organizers will turn to the state
for an expensive taxpayer bail-out. In this state dominated by Democrats,
so many with presidential aspirations (JFK in '60, Ted Kennedy '80,
Dukakis and his disastrous "Massachusetts Miracle" in '88, Paul
Tsongas in '92, and now John Kerry in '04), inevitably it's like a Boston
Celtics slam-dunk right there in the FleetCenter's hoop. When the time
comes -- despite "the worst fiscal crisis since the Great
Depression" -- we Massachusetts
taxpayers will bankroll an 11th-hour bail-out of the Democrat's
national convention.
That's a FleetCenter event you can bet on.
Here's an historical time-line, so that later there can
be no excuses but lame excuses.
And we will be here to again announce "we told you
so"!
Chip Ford December 11, 2002
Media covering Boston's Democratic convention will find themselves squeezed into a smaller workspace - or even relegated to temporary quarters on commuter rail tracks - under an abrupt change in plans revealed yesterday.
Officials downplayed the significance of the sudden about-face - just six weeks before the July event - but one source close to the situation said the switch triggered calls of concern from some national media heavyweights.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 3, 2004
DNC media in space crunch
By Jack Meyers and David R. Guarino
Media covering Boston's Democratic convention will find themselves squeezed into a smaller workspace - or even relegated to temporary quarters on commuter rail tracks - under an abrupt change in plans revealed yesterday.
Officials downplayed the significance of the sudden about-face - just six weeks before the July event - but one source close to the situation said the switch triggered calls of concern from some national media heavyweights.
For months, convention honchos had said many of the 15,000 journalists would be working at 226 Causeway Street, a historic bakery rehabbed into fancy residential units and office space.
Planners claimed they were worried that residents of the building would try to halt the interior construction work needed to get the offices ready for the media, sparking the last-minute decision to move.
However, the new digs at 239 Causeway and 98 North Washington Street, the former home of Boston Paintball, have only 45,000 square feet.
Peggy Wilhide, communications director of the Democratic National Convention Committee, said, "We will have space for all the credentialed media. These new places don't need any work. They're in move-in condition."
But a source said the drop in space might result in some media, particularly smaller ones or foreign journalists, being left out in the cold.
Wilhide said some media might be located into work space built on the commuter rail tracks, which won't be in use during the July 26-29 convention. The changes will not affect a temporary pavilion being set up immediately outside the FleetCenter.
Wilhide claimed the shift gives the media almost as much space as the original plan, but two sources said the new buildings have only half the space as 226 Causeway.
Looking to cut costs, the Democratic National Convention has decided to move one of its media work areas to a cheaper location a few buildings away -- one that provides some 14,000 fewer square feet and would consign at least 1,000 journalists to workspace outside the convention's security perimeter....
The move comes as construction costs threaten to balloon beyond the convention's $64.5 million budget, and just days before workers are slated to start building out the FleetCenter and its environs on Tuesday. Between rent and renovations, shifting the media workspace is expected to save about $2 million, according to one convention planner who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But it has sparked complaints from some journalists working with convention officials on media workspace issues.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Planners change media location
Move will reduce convention costs
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
Looking to cut costs, the Democratic National Convention has decided to move one of its media work areas to a cheaper location a few buildings away -- one that provides some 14,000 fewer square feet and would consign at least 1,000 journalists to workspace outside the convention's security perimeter.
Instead of renting about 56,000 square feet of 226 Causeway St., convention officials have plans to rent about 42,000 square feet in two nearby buildings, at 239 Causeway St. and 98 North Washington St., said Peggy Wilhide, a convention spokeswoman.
The move comes as construction costs threaten to balloon beyond the convention's $64.5 million budget, and just days before workers are slated to start building out the FleetCenter and its environs on Tuesday. Between rent and renovations, shifting the media workspace is expected to save about $2 million, according to one convention planner who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But it has sparked complaints from some journalists working with convention officials on media workspace issues. Because the North Washington Street building is outside the so-called hard security perimeter, journalists assigned to it will be required to pass through metal detectors at security checkpoints each time they go from their work area to the FleetCenter. "Being within the perimeter is a major need for us in order to do our jobs properly," said Jim Drinkard, a political reporter for USA Today who is a member of the media committee that is helping arrange press accommodations for the convention.
He said media members attempting to cover the convention would be hampered by lines at the security checkpoints and could be locked out altogether in the event of an emergency that triggered a shutdown of the FleetCenter.
Wilhide said convention officials will work hard to ensure that members of the media get where they need to go, and said mostly technical and support staff can be put in the space outside the security perimeter. In addition, she said, a special entrance to the FleetCenter will be set up for members of the media, and extra media work space will be created at North Station inside the security zone. "This meets all our requirements," Wilhide said of the new buildings. The change will not affect plans for a 90,000-square-foot, two-story temporary structure that convention officials are putting up on the site of the old Boston Garden. That structure will be within the security perimeter.
Media workspace is a crucial issue for convention planners, since one of their main aims is persuading the 15,000 members of the media who are expected from around the world to cover the event. Local convention organizers came under fire in December, after a media walk-through of the FleetCenter revealed that planners were considering putting some journalists outside of the security perimeter.
When media workspace plans were announced in February, convention organizers noted that all workspace would be inside the perimeter, allowing journalists free passage between convention proceedings and their computers and other equipment. Convention Committee CEO Rod O'Connor called those plans "undoubtedly our best choice for media workspace." But no rental agreement was signed with the owners of 226 Causeway St., Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. According to the convention official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the company was asking for $2.2 million in rent, and the office space would have needed some $800,000 in renovations.
In addition, the company could not guarantee that its residential condominium tenants would not vote to force construction to stop at some point, said Karen Grant, a spokeswoman for the host committee, Boston 2004.
Peter Palandjian, the CEO of Intercontinental, said he was told of the decision yesterday morning, and was disappointed because he has kept his office space off the market since November because of the promise that the Democratic National Convention would use it for media space. He declined to discuss the specifics of his leasing proposal.
"I'm a fan of the DNC and of the event, and would have loved to have been the landlord," Palandjian said. "I stand ready to help the mayor and Boston 2004 if they want it in any way. We still think this is the best space."
Planners say they believe they can get the space at 239 Causeway and 98 North Washington for about $500,000, though no contract has been signed with the owner of those buildings, First General Realty Corp. of Newton. Also, those buildings have office space that will require less renovation, and do not have residential tenants. First General officials could not be reached yesterday.
Democratic National Convention organizers are combing the Hub and its suburbs for more hotel rooms for the July 26-29 political powwow, and some attendees may find themselves a fair distance from the action.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 3, 2004
DNC crush pushes guests far from action
By Greg Gatlin
Democratic National Convention organizers are combing the Hub and its suburbs for more hotel rooms for the July 26-29 political powwow, and some attendees may find themselves a fair distance from the action.
Organizers have asked the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors bureau to find more hotels that will reserve room blocks for delegates and other conventioneers. Organizers are looking to add as many as eight hotels to the 64 that have already signed on to host attendees.
Most of the additional hotels will be a good distance from the FleetCenter action - as far as 20 miles outside Boston. Organizers previously boosted the number of hotels to 64 from 61, adding a Sheraton hotel in Danvers and others. They have also signed up more universities to house attendees.
"There's a lot of interest in this convention, and that has led to a higher-than-expected demand for those rooms," said Peggy Wilhide, a DNC spokeswoman. "Our discussions with area hotels are going well, and we expect to have no trouble accommodating people who need hotel rooms."
Organizers are also looking for more rooms within the 64 hotels that have already agreed to block off 80 percent of their rooms for housing people attending the convention.
That's a tough sell, as hotels with available rooms are preferring to hold out for market rates, rather than the lower rates negotiated with the Democratic National Convention Committee.
And rates for available rooms are expected to skyrocket. As of May 18, the Cambridge House bed and breakfast was asking $295 a night with a three-night minimum stay. The Beacon Town House Inn in Boston had room rates ranging from $200 to $300, also with a three-night minimum stay.
Wilhide said there will be shuttle transportation from any hotel contracted by the DNC. Major roads, bridges and tunnels will be closed to traffic at certain times during convention week.
Operators of Amtrak's Downeaster announced yesterday that they will suspend service between Portland and Boston during the week of the Democratic National Convention.
(Full report follows)
Associated Press
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Amtrak to suspend Downeaster route during convention
PORTLAND, Maine -- Operators of Amtrak's Downeaster announced yesterday that they will suspend service between Portland and Boston during the week of the Democratic National Convention. Security measures imposed on the rail line during the convention from July 26 to 29 were burdensome, said John Englert, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.
But in the end, the rail authority determined that few travelers planned to go to Boston that week anyway, Englert said. "Many of the customers said, 'We're not going to bother,'" he said.
Travelers flying out of Logan International Airport on afternoons and evenings of the Democratic National Convention next month should consider arriving as much as four hours early, airport officials warned yesterday....
[Tom Kinton, Logan's director of aviation] said Logan passenger traffic is expected to spike up by more than 18,000 passengers a day to about 105,000 on July 23, the Friday before the DNC, as delegates, pols and media arrive. It's expected to spike even higher - by some 30,000 departing travelers - on July 30.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, June 4, 2004
No escape: 4-hour Logan delays during DNC
By Greg Gatlin
Travelers flying out of Logan International Airport on afternoons and evenings of the Democratic National Convention next month should consider arriving as much as four hours early, airport officials warned yesterday.
"They are going to have to contend with some serious road closures in the late afternoon and evening," said Tom Kinton, Logan's director of aviation.
Kinton said those who can should fly at other times, or shift flights to earlier in the day.
Bill Norris of West Roxbury took that advice even before it was given. Norris had booked a flight out of Logan to Florida departing July 28, but then realized what he was facing.
"I changed it right away," Norris said last night. "What I've done is bumped up the ticket instead of getting anywhere near the 28th."
William Dunn, a travel agent with Creative Travel in Jamaica Plain, says most of his clients are avoiding any kind of transportation around Boston that week, including air travel. For those who do want to fly, he says he'd advise taking mass transit to Logan.
Road closures during the July 26-29 convention could create huge headaches for people trying to get in and out of the airport.
Kinton said Logan passenger traffic is expected to spike up by more than 18,000 passengers a day to about 105,000 on July 23, the Friday before the DNC, as delegates, pols and media arrive. It's expected to spike even higher - by some 30,000 departing travelers - on July 30.
But there will still be an expected 87,000 non-convention passengers a day traveling in and out of Logan during the DNC week, Kinton said.
Kinton said Logan Express buses will run every 15 minutes from Peabody and Woburn, rather than on the current 30-minute rotation. Because of bridge and tunnel closures, traffic is expected to be heavy on Route 1A, so Logan Express buses will travel on reserved bus lanes down Interstate 93 and through the Callahan Tunnel, Kinton said.
No decisions have been made on increasing bus service out of Braintree and Framingham.
Kinton also recommended that travelers coming from north of Boston go to the Wonderland MBTA station and take the T to the airport from there.
"We would highly recommend using mass transit," Kinton said. "We're also saying get here much earlier. Get in here ahead of the road closures, and if you can, change your flight."
Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday said the Democratic convention will be a financial loss for the state.
"I'm not planning on more money coming into the state. My expectation is that it's going to cost us money, not earn us money," Romney said.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, June 4, 2004
Dems throw bash out with bathhouse
By David R. Guarino
Democratic convention planners moved a New York delegation party from the famed L Street Bathhouse after delegates reportedly complained the site sounded like a gay social club.
Karen Grant, spokeswoman for the city's host committee in charge of the delegation parties, said the move was triggered only by the high cost of getting the beachfront facility in shape.
However, the announcement followed a report in a New York Post gossip column yesterday that New York delegates had objected to the name, feeling it sounded too much like the gay bathhouses closed down in the 1980s during the early years of the AIDS epidemic.
Grant said a new location hasn't been found for the Empire State party.
New York State Democratic Party officials could not be reached for comment.
The latest convention shakeup comes as a group of media representatives from Washington plans to fly up Monday for an emergency tour of the new buildings assigned to hundreds of journalists covering the convention, an abrupt switch announced Wednesday.
"Any time you have assignments being made and changed this late in the game, that's a concern," said Tina Tate, director of the House Radio and Television Correspondents' Gallery and one of the journalists coming Monday.
Although switches in the media space have been made at prior conventions for both major parties, "the real trouble with this is just how late it's coming," Tate said. "This is the most last-minute."
Peggy Wilhide, a Democratic National Convention Committee spokeswoman, said no one has voiced concern about moving some of the media to new quarters.
The change will affect a mix of print reporters, photographers and broadcasters, some of whom will be outside the "hard" security perimeter, she said.
"If the building is further away or the space is considerably different, we are going to have a problem, " Tate said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday said the Democratic convention will be a financial loss for the state.
"I'm not planning on more money coming into the state. My expectation is that it's going to cost us money, not earn us money," Romney said.
Local business leaders assembled on the steps of Quincy Market yesterday afternoon, delivering a message they said has been lost in negative press coverage: The business community is excited about the Democratic National Convention.
"We are confident of the positive impact of 35,000 visitors, and the positives to come in years ahead," said Michael Kelleher, vice president and general manager of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, who organized the rally. "Unfortunately, some of the positive aspects have been overshadowed."
The predicted crowd of 100-plus business leaders was closer to 30, including the Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster, and a few food-stand workers.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, June 4, 2004
Business leaders rally for convention
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
They blasted Springsteen from a snazzy sound system and even trotted out the Red Sox mascot to lighten the mood.
But there was no mistaking this event for your typical pep rally, not with all those gray hairs and all those dark suits. Local business leaders assembled on the steps of Quincy Market yesterday afternoon, delivering a message they said has been lost in negative press coverage: The business community is excited about the Democratic National Convention.
"We are confident of the positive impact of 35,000 visitors, and the positives to come in years ahead," said Michael Kelleher, vice president and general manager of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, who organized the rally. "Unfortunately, some of the positive aspects have been overshadowed."
The predicted crowd of 100-plus business leaders was closer to 30, including the Red Sox mascot, Wally the Green Monster, and a few food-stand workers. Those who did attend proclaimed their belief that the traffic won't be that bad and that Boston will ultimately be thankful for its turn in the national spotlight. It's been a rough few months for convention organizers, with predictions of commuting nightmares, fund-raising woes, and unsettled city contracts all beginning to leave Beantown residents with some sour sentiments about July's convention. A recent study predicted that the four-day event will be a net economic loss for the city. City officials dispute that, saying it will bring some $150 million.
Frustrations related to the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Boston reached a peak in recent weeks as feared traffic snarls turned into highway bans and a hoped-for $150 million boon to the local economy changed into a feared $50 million bust. But some of the city's neighborhoods and area's small businesses may still benefit significantly from the upcoming event....
The convention is expected to rank sky-high on the public aggravation index due to widespread security measures. The least those with access can do is shop locally.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, June 4, 2004
A Boston Globe editorial
Democratic dollars
Frustrations related to the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Boston reached a peak in recent weeks as feared traffic snarls turned into highway bans and a hoped-for $150 million boon to the local economy changed into a feared $50 million bust. But some of the city's neighborhoods and area's small businesses may still benefit significantly from the upcoming event.
Boston 2004, the host committee for the convention, has already contracted for more than $900,000 worth of services with 46 small and women- or minority-owned businesses from its directory of local vendors, which includes roughly 550 entertainers, florists, caterers, event planners, souvenir sellers, and related businesses. That should be just a start.
Most of the roughly 1,000 convention week social events will be hosted by private corporations. John Hancock Financial Services is mining the vendor directory, according to Boston 2004. Other companies hosting large gatherings, and especially the major donors to the convention itself, could spread considerable good will by using the directory.
After a slow start, plans are also materializing for the 30 delegation parties slated to take place on the Sunday evening before the convention in Boston's neighborhoods. Getting the delegates out of the downtown hospitality suites and into the city's museums, breweries, bakeries, and historic homes remains one of the convention's most original touches.
Trish Karter, president of Dancing Deer Baking Co. in Roxbury, will host delegates from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Georgia in conjunction with the nearby Shirley-Eustis historic mansion. Desserts should be no problem for the gourmet bakery. But Karter was still waiting earlier this week for Boston 2004 to assign her a caterer. At the Boston Nature Center, an Audubon sanctuary in Mattapan, staffers were waiting to hear about their entertainment options for the Wisconsin delegation.
Communication with the local venues has been a problem. It should improve with the host committee's recent hiring of Mark Walsh, a highly regarded event manager.
The convention is expected to rank sky-high on the public aggravation index due to widespread security measures. The least those with access can do is shop locally.
The kind of crowds usually seen at Thanksgiving are expected to use Logan International Airport during the Democratic National Convention next month, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which is advising passengers to plan accordingly....
[Barbara Platt, a Massport spokeswoman] said Massport expects an estimated 100,000 to 115,000 additional passengers to pass through Logan on July 23, the Friday before the convention, and that passenger traffic will jump by about 30,000 for departing travelers on July 30.
In an interview Thursday, Tom Kinton, director of aviation at Logan, said travelers who use Logan during the convention should arrive at the airport as much as four hours early, because of road closures around the FleetCenter between 4 and 11 p.m.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Saturday, June 5, 2004
Logan readies for convention travelers
Security checks may add to delays
By Jared Stearns, Globe Correspondent
The kind of crowds usually seen at Thanksgiving are expected to use Logan International Airport during the Democratic National Convention next month, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which is advising passengers to plan accordingly.
A Massport spokeswoman predicted that operations will run smoothly with few delays, although one travel management specialist cautioned that heightened security concerns and the number of passengers passing through security screening at the airport could slow things down.
"Our sense is that the activity at the airport, that the screening is going to be very thorough," said Peter Klebanow, president of the national company Ultramar Travel Management. "Given the amount of traffic, it's going to be a slower process."
Barbara Platt, a Massport spokeswoman, likened getting into and out of Boston during the convention to traveling during Thanksgiving, but added that Massport will have extra staff to guide passengers and expedite the check-in process and security screenings.
"It's more planning ahead to get to the airport," Platt said. "Massport is planning for business as usual at Logan for the days leading up to, during, and following the convention."
She said Massport expects an estimated 100,000 to 115,000 additional passengers to pass through Logan on July 23, the Friday before the convention, and that passenger traffic will jump by about 30,000 for departing travelers on July 30.
In an interview Thursday, Tom Kinton, director of aviation at Logan, said travelers who use Logan during the convention should arrive at the airport as much as four hours early, because of road closures around the FleetCenter between 4 and 11 p.m.
Platt said that rule doesn't apply to everyone.
"For some travelers, that might be true," she said. "There's no hard and fast rule. People need to have a plan, depending on the time of day they're traveling."
In general, Platt said, officials recommend that passengers on domestic flights get to the airport 90 minutes before their flight is scheduled to depart, and two to three hours early for international flights. When the convention begins in July, travelers might want to arrive at the airport earlier, she said, especially if their flights are scheduled during a time when main highways will be closed.
Yesterday the Federal Aviation Administration announced that no private or corporate flights will be allowed to take off or land at Logan during the convention because of security reasons. Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, said the agency will impose the restrictions from 7 a.m. July 26 through midnight on July 29 at the request of the Secret Service, which has taken over security preparations.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
No private or corporate flights will be allowed to take off from or land at Logan International Airport during the Democratic National Convention this July due to security concerns, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
(Full report follows)
Associated Press
Saturday, June 5, 2004
Private, corporate flights banned during Democratic convention
BOSTON -- No private or corporate flights will be allowed to take off from or land at Logan International Airport during the Democratic National Convention this July due to security concerns, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, said the agency will impose the restrictions from 7 a.m. July 26 through midnight on July 29 at the request of the U.S. Secret Service, which has taken over security preparations for the high-profile event.
Only regularly scheduled commercial flights that meet federal security requirements will be allowed within a 10-mile radius of Logan. Private and corporate flights will only be allowed within a 30-mile radius if they file a flight plan with the FAA to land at one of the small general aviation airports outside the 10-mile radius.
General aviation flights will not be allowed to take off from those airports unless they are going to leave the 30-mile radius, Brown said.
During the convention hours, July 26 to July 29, there will also be some additional restrictions on smaller commercial flights -- a provision that would affect Cape Air.
Ann Davis, a spokeswoman for the TSA, said she could not immediately comment on the restrictions. A call to Cape Air, based in Hyannis, was not immediately returned.
Brown said that flight restrictions are also being imposed in New York City, where the Republicans will hold their convention in late August and early September.
Governor Mitt Romney's top human resources officer said yesterday she hopes many state employees in the Boston area go on vacation during July's Democratic National Convention, but issued a memorandum to all agency managers urging them to make sure enough workers show up to keep the government running.
About 22,000 Massachusetts employees -- or roughly half the executive branch of state government -- work in Boston, but because security measures will force the closure of 40 miles of roads and highways, Romney's aides are hoping many will either take a vacation, work earlier shifts, or telecommute to help cut down on traffic congestion, as well as worker time lost to gridlock.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Sunday, June 6, 2004
Vacations urged for state workers
But agencies open during convention
By Raphael Lewis, Globe Staff
Governor Mitt Romney's top human resources officer said yesterday she hopes many state employees in the Boston area go on vacation during July's Democratic National Convention, but issued a memorandum to all agency managers urging them to make sure enough workers show up to keep the government running.
About 22,000 Massachusetts employees -- or roughly half the executive branch of state government -- work in Boston, but because security measures will force the closure of 40 miles of roads and highways, Romney's aides are hoping many will either take a vacation, work earlier shifts, or telecommute to help cut down on traffic congestion, as well as worker time lost to gridlock.
"Our goal is to make sure the agencies are running and sufficiently staffed, and to make sure the staff is safe and not spending hours commuting," said Ruth Bramson, the state's chief human resources officer. "We're not changing any policies for this convention."
Managers are expected to make sure that an adequate number of workers show up, perhaps by having workers arrive at 7 a.m. and leave by 3 p.m., Bramson said. Others will be urged to shift some workers to offices outside the Boston area for the week.
Still, Bramson said she hopes that hundreds of workers do take vacation time during the convention week, as long as basic business can go on uninterrupted. But she said workers will not be allowed to take sick time unless they're actually ill.
"We're not saying, if you have 15 accrued days, take four," Bramson said. "We think that many people who knew the convention was coming have thought about that anyway for vacation. That's a great time to take a vacation, at the end of July. We encourage them to do that."
Many of the closures and restrictions announced by the state highway department and the MBTA will only take place during evening commuting hours, so the memo that went out to all state agencies yesterday made clear that the state has no intention of allowing state services to come to a grinding halt during convention week.
The convention, which will run from Monday, July 26, through Thursday, July 29, is expected to turn the region's road and rail network into a gridlocked mess. North Station will close to commuters, as will several subway stations. Miles of Interstate 93, Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive, and other arteries will be closed for hours at a time. Even air traffic at Logan International Airport will be restricted, all to help secure a nominating convention that the US Secret Service has deemed a "national security event."
Last week, the nation's top law enforcement officers issued a warning that terrorists may attempt to target both the Democratic convention in Boston and the Republicans' gathering in New York City five weeks later.
Kimberly Hinden, who heads the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles, said she remains uncertain how her agency will cope with the closures and restrictions, but is quite certain that the convention will affect business.
The registry's busiest office is in Boston's Chinatown, where motor vehicle traffic will be severely constricted. About 200 registry employees work there.
Hinden said one change is already anticipated: Because state troopers will be helping to provide security for the convention, the registry will not offer road tests during convention week.
The union tangle threatening to embarrass the Democratic National Convention grew more snarled last night as police officers and EMTs armed with signs lined up outside the Fleet Center minutes before midnight.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Cops give DNC labor pains: Unions wont cross picket line
By Scott Van Voorhis and Jack Meyers
The union tangle threatening to embarrass the Democratic National Convention grew more snarled last night as police officers and EMTs armed with signs lined up outside the Fleet Center minutes before midnight.
"There certainly are a lot better things we all could be doing with our time than standing out here," said recently promoted Boston police Capt. Maura Flynn, who joined roughly 50 others to picket from midnight to 4 a.m., only to head into work four hours later.
"We just want negotiations to keep going forward. It doesn't seem like the city is too forthcoming with an offer for us," said Flynn, who said it would take a "legitimate offer" to end the picket at the North Station arena. "We certainly hope this will be extremely shortlived."
The pickets went up after the labor council that represents scores of Greater Boston unions rejected a key FleetCenter work agreement - including a no-strike pledge -before a massive convention revamp of the arena was to begin today.
The swift and emotional vote was aimed at showing support for the Boston police patrolmen's union and its contract battle with Mayor Thomas M. Menino, labor leaders said.
It came hours after the city's latest unsuccessful attempt to negotiate an agreement with the Boston patrolmen's union, which has been working without a contract for two years.
"If I'm head of the DNC, if I'm Terry McAuliffe, I'm thinking maybe it's time to get involved and push this process along," Richard Rogers, the head of the labor council, said of the city-police dispute.
Meanwhile, the head of the powerful electricians union - a key player in the planned FleetCenter transformation into a temporary political showcase - pledged not to cross the police picket lines.
"I don't know any trade unionists who will cross the picket line," said Myles Calvey, business manager of IBEW Local 2222. "That is just taboo."
Yesterday's support came amid speculation that some building trade unions with strong ties to City Hall might not honor the police union's picket lines. One labor official suggested that some union construction workers might sit out for a few days before quietly slipping back to work.
"It is our belief that people are going to show up and get work done tomorrow," said Michael Kineavy, director of the mayor's office of neighborhood services.
The patrolmen's union confrontation, however, appears to be escalating.
Talks between city officials and the police union broke off yesterday, a union spokesman said.
City officials had offered to enter into "expedited arbitration" during the first three weeks in July. City Hall offered the union an 11.9 percent wage increase over four years as the basis for its arbitration proposal, according to a letter obtained by the Herald.
Several days of talks between City Hall and another key union representing clerks and janitors also broke off yesterday, potentially feeding more disgruntled union members to the picket lines.
The Greater Boston Labor Council last night rejected a project labor agreement with organizers of the Democratic National Convention, meaning that convention construction will begin at the FleetCenter today without a no-strike guarantee from the influential consortium of local unions.
The vote could persuade more construction workers to honor the picket line planned for this morning at the FleetCenter, where more than 100 Boston police officers and their union allies are expected. The labor council's decision also represents a symbolic blow to the city's efforts to project a labor-friendly image during the convention, and it comes amid mounting pressure on Mayor Thomas M. Menino to quickly wrap up talks with city unions.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Labor rejects a no-strike agreement
Patrolmen's picket begins; convention may be affected
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
The Greater Boston Labor Council last night rejected a project labor agreement with organizers of the Democratic National Convention, meaning that convention construction will begin at the FleetCenter today without a no-strike guarantee from the influential consortium of local unions.
The vote could persuade more construction workers to honor the picket line planned for this morning at the FleetCenter, where more than 100 Boston police officers and their union allies are expected. The labor council's decision also represents a symbolic blow to the city's efforts to project a labor-friendly image during the convention, and it comes amid mounting pressure on Mayor Thomas M. Menino to quickly wrap up talks with city unions.
"This sends a very strong message that the mayor needs to be at the bargaining table to resolve this with the unions," said Richard M. Rogers, executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council.
Last night's labor council meeting pitted the public-employee unions, which are angry over the fact that they are still working without contracts, against several of the largest private-sector building trade unions, which are eager for convention business. A project labor agreement would have guaranteed that trade unions would not strike, but in a sign of solidarity with the public unions the pact was defeated on a voice vote that Rogers described as "overwhelming."
Meanwhile, in a sign of growing uneasiness in the Democratic Party, the chair of the Maine Democratic Party said that her state's 36 convention delegates would probably not cross a union picket line at the convention. Dorothy Melanson said she is confident the city can settle its contracts before the convention begins July 26, but said that if the police union has no contract and sets up pickets at the FleetCenter, Maine Democrats would be inclined to respect it.
"We're a party that supports labor all the way," said Melanson, who added that she intends to discuss the issue at a meeting for delegates scheduled next week. "We would honor picket lines."
Members of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association arrived at the FleetCenter shortly after midnight this morning, and promised to keep their pickets running straight through the convention if they don't get a contract. Patrolmen's association leaders say they will be joined by police officers from New York City, Plymouth, and New Bedford, as well as a smattering of other Boston city workers, forcing members of building trade unions to decide whether to stand with their fellow union members or start work on schedule on $14 million in construction jobs.
The pickets went up after negotiations between the city and the union broke off yesterday afternoon following just two hours of talks. The police union rejected an arbitration offer, and both sides said they remain far apart on key salary provisions. Talks with Boston Firefighters Local 718 also failed to produce an agreement over the weekend, and that union has called on its members to join the police officers on the picket line. In addition, the president of Service Employees International Union Local 888, Susana Segat, complained yesterday that the city still doesn't appear to be serious in talks with her union.
The Menino administration expressed confidence that work would continue despite the potential disruptions.
"We're hoping the people will show up and will get the job done," said Michael Kineavy, director of the mayor's office of neighborhood services, last night.
Despite the labor council vote, leaders of the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District will almost certainly sign a project labor agreement in the days to come, to ensure that most of the work proceeds on schedule.
Nonetheless, the lack of contract settlements could delay the work needed to ready the FleetCenter for the convention, which is less than seven weeks away. Construction workers are slated to start work at the arena this morning, and at least one union scheduled to work at the arena -- representing Verizon telephone and data-line workers -- has vowed not to cross the police union's picket line regardless of efforts to bring labor peace with a project labor agreement.
The possibility of disruptions has local Democratic leaders concerned, particularly because the FleetCenter construction is on such a tight schedule. Philip W. Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, made frantic phone calls yesterday to city leaders and local labor officials, trying to see if a compromise could be reached to avoid picket lines at the job site.
"We really don't have much leeway in terms of getting the convention work done," Johnston said. "It is a serious situation. I hope both sides continue to talk so this is resolved in the next few days."
As convention organizers make contingency plans to cope with the protests, Menino said yesterday that the convention host committee will seek out another telecommunications service provider if Verizon cannot convince its employees to work. Seth Gitell, a Menino spokesman, said the mayor will try to seek out a union shop if possible to provide the nearly $3 million in telecommunications services in the convention budget. A Verizon spokesman, John Vincenzo, declined to comment yesterday on the company's next move.
About a dozen city bargaining units are still working without contracts, but a breakthrough with the powerful and vocal patrolmen's association would probably have cleared the way for all the building trades to start work at the convention. But that didn't happen at the bargaining table yesterday; both sides left negotiations accusing each other of not being serious about a settlement.
At the meeting before the state Joint Labor-Management Committee, the patrolmen's association officially rejected the city's offer of expedited arbitration. Under that proposal, an independent third party would have reviewed each side's argument and come back with a contract settlement before the Democratic National Convention.
According to a copy of the city's letter to the union obtained by the Globe, city negotiators said they deem an 11.9 percent wage increase over four years to be "appropriate and reasonable," and invited the police union to propose an economic package of its own. That's roughly in line with the contract signed in March by the Boston Teachers Union, which was given 9.2 percent salary increases over three years, although that deal will provide significantly higher pay increases to some teachers.
Menino aides said the union's decision to reject binding arbitration shows that it is more interested in embarrassing the mayor and the Democratic Party on an international stage than in reaching an equitable settlement.
"You can only draw two conclusions: They either want to disrupt the convention and cause chaos, or fear that they can't prove their case before an arbitrator," said Dennis A. DiMarzio, the city's chief operating officer.
But police union leaders continued to blame the city for the impasse, accusing the city bargaining team of walking out on negotiations without even telling the union's team that it was leaving, a charge DiMarzio denied. Thomas J. Nee, president of the patrolmen's association, said that after months and months of the city not scheduling bargaining sessions, the union is not comfortable with handing over its right to negotiations to an arbitrator.
"We have a right to the process, and they can't simply walk right around it," Nee said. "The arbitration system is designed for when the system has broken down, not for when someone has avoided the system."
Last night's vote on the project labor agreement ignited passions at the Boston Teachers Union headquarters in Dorchester. Those lobbying against the proposed pact held signs and chanted slogans outside, and one building-trade union member said on his way in, "It's not going to be fun."
Steven Gillis, president of the 800-member Boston bus drivers' union, said he voted against the agreement because his union and so many other city workers lack contracts. Gillis and his members arrived at the site of the meeting in buses, with signs in tow.
"We're voting for solidarity," Gillis said. "The Democratic convention should know that workers in the city of Boston don't have contracts."
Globe correspondent Heather Allen contributed to this report.
This Democratic National Convention thing seemed like a good idea at the time, didn't it? ...
One thing is certain: Mayor Menino cannot give in to the BPPA's blackmail. The Democratic National Convention is already costing the people of this city plenty. Long after the Democrats have left town, the taxpayers - and the voters - will still be here. City and BPPA negotiators need to keep that in mind.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
A Boston Herald editorial
DNC won't foot this bill
This Democratic National Convention thing seemed like a good idea at the time, didn't it?
Then, of course, commuters found out about the nightmare week on the roads and the rails. And businesses are attempting to make the best of it, some encouraging workers to take vacations or work at home, some offering flex-time hours. Don't even try to move in or out of a Boston apartment or get a driver's license that week.
A couple of different studies insist it will be an overall money loser for the city and the region. But there are losers and there are LOSERS, and the real issue may not be how much money is lost that week but whether the taxpayers of Boston will be held up for years to come.
That's right. The Boston Police Patrolman's Association has opted for a better than average game of contract hardball, seeing in the pending convention an opportunity to bring the Menino administration to heel.
While security concerns abound (and with them ample overtime opportunities), the BPPA has continued to play its "us-first" game with the city. The union has announced its intention to throw up a picket line around the FleetCenter just as construction efforts begin today to ready the facility for the convention itself.
Over the weekend Local 2222 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said its members would honor the police picket. The local represents Verizon workers who are in charge of wiring the place and getting communications gear up and running.
Now organized labor - which lobbied long and hard along with Mayor Tom Menino to get the convention here - is being torn apart by the BPPA shenanigans. Local 103 of the IBEW, for example, which also has work to do in the FleetCenter, will not be honoring the police picket.
One thing is certain: Mayor Menino cannot give in to the BPPA's blackmail. The Democratic National Convention is already costing the people of this city plenty. Long after the Democrats have left town, the taxpayers - and the voters - will still be here. City and BPPA negotiators need to keep that in mind.
Next month, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will become the first transit agency in the nation to institute a permanent policy of randomly inspecting passenger bags and packages on subway and commuter trains, MBTA police officials disclosed yesterday.
The stop-and-search procedure, largely prompted by the March 11 train bombings that killed 191 people in Spain, will involve explosive-sniffing dogs and all 247 uniformed MBTA police officers, and is set to be in place for July's Democratic National Convention, MBTA T Police Chief Joseph Carter told the Globe....
But the MBTA policy would be far more ambitious -- and in the eyes of civil libertarians, far more invasive -- as police conduct random inspections of bags and briefcases that are not tied to suspicious behavior....
[MBTA Deputy Police Chief John Martino] said, however, that the number of inspections would increase dramatically during the convention at the end of July, just as thousands of commuters who normally drive to work will cram onto subways and commuter rail trains because of extensive road and highway closures.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
T to check packages, bags at random
By Raphael Lewis, Globe Staff
Next month, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will become the first transit agency in the nation to institute a permanent policy of randomly inspecting passenger bags and packages on subway and commuter trains, MBTA police officials disclosed yesterday.
The stop-and-search procedure, largely prompted by the March 11 train bombings that killed 191 people in Spain, will involve explosive-sniffing dogs and all 247 uniformed MBTA police officers, and is set to be in place for July's Democratic National Convention, MBTA T Police Chief Joseph Carter told the Globe.
"I have no trepidation about being first," Carter said. "I don't want to be the first to do an interview about having a serious incident that may have some terrorist indications to it. I want to be in a position to prevent and detect and apprehend someone prior to them causing damage. We want to do this to encourage people to feel safe on the MBTA, to utilize public transportation."
The policy was made public only weeks after the MBTA announced a controversial decision to begin requesting identification from T passengers police perceive as acting "suspiciously."
Since the Madrid bombings, which were allegedly carried out by Al Qaeda terrorists who concealed explosives in their backpacks, counterterrorism agencies across the globe have concluded that subway and commuter rail operations are possible targets. In London, police reacted to the bombings by issuing new security guidelines that allow officers to stop and search passengers and their bags if riders are acting suspiciously.
Last month, the US Transportation Security Administration unveiled a pilot program to screen the bags of all passengers at a single Maryland Rail Commuter station in suburban New Carrollton.
But the MBTA policy would be far more ambitious -- and in the eyes of civil libertarians, far more invasive -- as police conduct random inspections of bags and briefcases that are not tied to suspicious behavior. The policy is being developed in coordination with the TSA and with several other transit agencies in the United States and abroad, Carter said. It is not yet fully developed, he added.
MBTA Deputy Police Chief John Martino, who is overseeing the development and implementation of the policy, said police, some accompanied by explosive-sniffing dogs, will randomly pick out riders for inspection throughout the transit system daily. If the dogs are present -- there are only four used by the force currently -- riders would not have to open their bags, but make them available for the dogs to sniff, Martino said.
If no dogs are present, "a brief opening and a quick look in will usually be enough to judge if there's any cause for alarm," Martino said. "Wherever possible, we would use an explosive-detection canine that would just sniff -- no requirement to open them at all in that case."
Martino said, however, that the number of inspections would increase dramatically during the convention at the end of July, just as thousands of commuters who normally drive to work will cram onto subways and commuter rail trains because of extensive road and highway closures. He also said riders can expect the number of inspections to increase whenever the US Homeland Security Department changes the color-coded threat advisory to orange or red, the highest levels.
Martino would not specify how many bag inspections will be conducted, either during the convention or at times when the threat level is not elevated.
Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, said she understands the need to increase vigilance on the region's rail and bus systems, but contended that the system being devised by the MBTA is deeply flawed and may violate the US Constitution's ban on unreasonable search and seizure.
"The Fourth Amendment doesn't stop at your wrist when you carry a briefcase; it includes your bag," Rose said. "It either has to be truly random, or it has to have a root in a reasonable basis of suspicion."
"What does random mean? How do you ensure that is random?" Rose continued. "That means no discretion at all."
Rose dismissed comparisons of the T's policy to baggage checks at the nation's airports and called the move excessive.
"It's not imaginable to stop everybody getting on trains for their morning commute, and let's face it, a train doesn't have the same mass killing potential that a hijacked airplane does. You can't drive a train into a skyscraper."
T riders told by a reporter about the bag inspection policy yesterday reacted with a mixture of terrorism-weary resignation, annoyance, and in some cases, skepticism that police officers were capable of carrying out a truly random search system.
Alejandro Roberts, 25, a filmmaker from Dorchester interviewed at the JFK-UMass Red Line station, said he would be upset if such a search were to make him late for an appointment, but expressed greater worries about the specter of racial profiling.
Pamela Pratt, 46, a hospital supervisor from Randolph, said , "We all know who will be stopped -- black people like me or my brothers."
Other passengers, however, said they understood that they may have to give up some privacy to protect against attacks such as those that occurred in Madrid.
"It's a gray area," said Caleb Charland, 23, a Dorchester photographer. "I don't want people searching my bags, but if it increases safety, I understand."
Carter, who confirmed that the agency was developing the plans, said T officials have not announced the policy because he and other police officials are still working out the details on how to balance security and privacy concerns.
"Everything we do here is to protect and uphold and defend the constitutional rights of everyone, particuarly our patrons on the system," Carter said. "That is one of the reasons why the policy is not something that is just sitting there, ready for us to publish tomorrow morning. . . . How do we do this to make sure constitutional rights are in place? We don't want to abridge those rights, but in this era, we need the highest degree of security."
Carter said he is determined to have the baggage inspection procedure in place for the Democratic convention, which has been deemed a special "national security" event by the US Secret Service.
"We're on a very tight clock here; we're working feverishly to come to a finalized policy," Carter said. "We will meet with various groups, particularly the leading civil rights groups about this, but we will not be deterred in ensuring we have the highest level of security for the convention."
Carter and his deputies said the cost of the new program would be minimal because the force, including canine units, is already patrolling stations.
Last month, T police announced that the entire force has been receiving counterterrorism training that includes spotting suspicious behavior. The ACLU and riders groups, fearful that the policy could lead to random ID checks, have contended that the stops represent an unwarranted intrusion. But T officials insist that the "behavior pattern recognition" training that all officers are receiving is geared toward security, and not to pestering riders.
Martino said the T Police Department is seeking to double the size of the dog unit to spread the baggage inspections across the vast transit system.
For now, however, Deputy T Police Chief Thomas McCarthy, who oversees intelligence operations, expressed confidence that the heightened presence of police officers will send a message that the MBTA is not a good place for terrorists to attack.
"You send a message that we're a harder target than some other place," McCarthy said. "That will hopefully make it safer."
David Abel of the Globe Staff contributed to this story.
The random checks of passengers' bags and parcels are expected to begin next month - in preparation for the Democratic National Convention. Explosive sniffing dogs will also be part of the mix. All of this follows on the heels of the T's education efforts to make passengers more aware of their surroundings and of their fellow passengers, urging them to report anything suspicious....
Officials of the American Civil Liberties Union, not surprisingly, are more than a little skeptical - much of that skepticism reserved for the future definition of "random."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
A Boston Herald editorial
MBTA plan deters terror
In a thousand different ways we have had to admit that life as we know it has changed. Coping with random checks for the often dubious privilege of riding the MBTA is just another one of them.
The random checks of passengers' bags and parcels are expected to begin next month - in preparation for the Democratic National Convention. Explosive sniffing dogs will also be part of the mix. All of this follows on the heels of the T's education efforts to make passengers more aware of their surroundings and of their fellow passengers, urging them to report anything suspicious.
Officials of the American Civil Liberties Union, not surprisingly, are more than a little skeptical - much of that skepticism reserved for the future definition of "random."
But MBTA Police officials have countered with some very reassuring news - that all officers have been receiving behavior pattern recognition training. When operating at its best such training means T officers won't be rousting goofy-looking kids with spiked hair and nose rings or wasting their time on little old ladies carrying their latest bargains from Filene's Basement.
No, they'll be looking for those whose behavior - not their hair, or their dress or their skin color - makes them suspicious.
The very knowledge that MBTA Police are well trained and have put a system in place acts as a deterrent to those looking for "soft" targets. And there's no downside to that.
Democratic National Convention organizers were forced to shut down the start of FleetCenter construction yesterday after some construction workers and delivery trucks refused to cross a picket line led by Boston police officers outside the arena. More construction problems were expected today, as city and convention officials scrambled to cope with the unanticipated disruptions....
Nee, the police union president, said he was overwhelmed by the hundreds of union members who showed up yesterday. He said they have the manpower to keep the pressure on Menino until a contract is settled....
The patrolmen's association was joined by firefighters, police superior officers, school janitors, and members of the Service Employees International Union....
"This will gather momentum," said Robert B. McCarthy, president of Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. "It's like your hand. You have five fingers when it's open, but when you close it, you have a fist. That's clout."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
Police union's picket line halts work on convention
Democrats move to end labor dispute
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff and Heather Allen, Globe Correspondent
Democratic National Convention organizers were forced to shut down the start of FleetCenter construction yesterday after some construction workers and delivery trucks refused to cross a picket line led by Boston police officers outside the arena. More construction problems were expected today, as city and convention officials scrambled to cope with the unanticipated disruptions.
Several nationally prominent Democrats spoke by phone with local convention officials yesterday, plotting strategies for ending the labor problems. The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, spoke with Mayor Thomas M. Menino, while John Sasso, Senator John F. Kerry's primary liaison to the DNC, called Jack Corrigan, Kerry's main convention planner. They spoke about making a push to settle the city's contracts with firefighters and the Service Employees International Union, according to Democratic Party officials. Such a move is seen as isolating the police union and blunting the impact of its picket line.
The calls by McAuliffe and Sasso were the first direct involvement by top party officials and the Kerry camp in the city's union negotiations.
The extent of yesterday's disruptions caught convention organizers off-guard. They had assumed that most members of the building and construction trade unions would cross the picket line without incident; refusal to cross was expected only from a union that represents Verizon telephone and data-wiring electricians, and Menino had begun making plans to find other workers or another telecommunications supplier, if necessary.
Instead, firefighters and service employees joined the picket line, and about half the 50 carpenters and other workers who were to begin construction yesterday, members of a local carpenters union and Laborers Local 133, chose to not cross. The workers who did show up entered the arena about 6:30 a.m., but trucks carrying lumber and other supplies halted short of the FleetCenter, as Teamsters refused to cross the picket line. FleetCenter workers who are members of SEIU Local 615 also honored the picket line. And with an angry crowd hurling insults at them, the workers who had entered the FleetCenter left after about four hours, having accomplished virtually no work.
"It's a tough situation," said Thomas Goemaat, president and chief executive of Shawmut Design and Construction, which is in charge of preparing the arena. "Some people chose to go work, and others did not.... We'll have to see how tomorrow goes."
One day's disruption won't jeopardize completion of convention preparations, organizers said. But work must begin within the next 24 to 48 hours if the conversion of the FleetCenter is to be completed by the July 26 start of the convention. Shawmut had hoped to have about 50 carpenters and laborers inside the building for a full day of work yesterday, removing seats and bringing in supplies. Goemaat said his company will try to get a crew in again today.
Menino accused members of the police union of blocking access to the FleetCenter, in violation of the terms under which a federal judge allowed the pickets to go forward last week. Menino said the city was considering going to court to force the picketers off the premises.
Leaders of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association said they complied fully with the limitations laid out in Judge Joseph Tauro's ruling. At one point yesterday morning, as a crowd surged to block the way of a Land Rover headed into the FleetCenter complex, union president Thomas J. Nee shooed them out of the vehicle's path.
The host committee had hoped to sign a project labor agreement yesterday with the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District, a pact that Menino and convention organizers had hoped would guarantee that work will get done at the FleetCenter. Yesterday's disruptions postponed the signing, convention officials said, adding that those agreements would not prevent indvidual union members from refusing to cross the picket line, as several teamsters, carpenters, and laborers did yesterday. Convention officials said they hope to sign the agreements later in the week.
Menino maintained that the arena will be ready when the convention begins and said support for the police picket line would dissipate over the next few days, as those charged with helping prepare the FleetCenter decide that the cause is not worth sacrificing paychecks.
"As we go forward, more and more building trades will go in," the mayor said. "They're taking bread off the table of many of the building trades who would be in that building, and they can't afford it. They have to take a paycheck home to their family also. Everyone else who is out there picketing is getting a day's pay."
Nee, the police union president, said he was overwhelmed by the hundreds of union members who showed up yesterday. He said they have the manpower to keep the pressure on Menino until a contract is settled.
"In the end, I'm dedicated to see this through," he said. "No level of fatigue will stop me. We're going to be here 24-7 until a contract is in place."
Coming off Monday night's overwhelming rejection of a no-strike guarantee by the Greater Boston Labor Council, an umbrella group consisting of most of Boston's major unions, a number of public unions presented a united front outside the FleetCenter. At one point, about 500 picketers ringed Causeway Street and arena entrances. The patrolmen's association was joined by firefighters, police superior officers, school janitors, and members of the Service Employees International Union.
With signs making clever use of DNC -- "Do Not Cross" and "Democrats Negotiate Contracts" -- and angry chants aimed at Menino, the crowds grew louder and more raucous when people attempted to cross the picket line early yesterday.
The signs and chants persuaded at least two truck drivers carrying lumber, floor-protecting sheet rock, and other supplies to turn around, and members of local laborers' and carpenters' unions also stayed away. Labor leaders predicted that they could keep convention preparations off-kilter for as long as they wish.
"This will gather momentum," said Robert B. McCarthy, president of Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. "It's like your hand. You have five fingers when it's open, but when you close it, you have a fist. That's clout."
In his conversations with Democrats, Menino said he briefed McAuliffe on the labor situation, but told him that he remains unable to spend beyond the city's means. The mayor encouraged McAuliffe to "inject a sense of reason" in talks with the unions, and McAuliffe was amenable to helping in any way he can, according to a Menino aide.
Menino lashed out at leaders of the patrolmen's association, which on Monday rejected the city's offer of expedited arbitration. Yesterday, the city reached settlement with another of its bargaining units, representing 24 housing inspectors in the Inspectional Services Department.
"They think they're going to use this public pressure to embarrass the city," Menino said of leaders of the police union. "Why wouldn't you want to go [to arbitration]? That's the question that someone needs to answer. I'm willing to have my team sit at a table with their team and bring a third party in and make those evaluations."
Patrick Healey of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
What was Mumbles thinking of? He was in Springfield in 1990 for the Democratic convention when the cops out there threw up a picket line and delayed the start of the balloting for three hours....
Every day there's more bad news. Monday, the MBTA announces it's going to start stopping and searching whoever it damn well pleases. The cops already had made a similar announcement about passenger cars. And the Cirque du Soleil is going to cancel three shows at Suffolk Downs.
The reason? With all the road closures during the convention, no one would be able to get there. It's not the end of the world, of course, and besides, everyone will find somewhere else to go.
Probably New Hampshire.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
Cops play hardball: One strike and Mumbles is out
By Howie Carr
This isn't the first time Boston has had its problems with the cops. But consider the differing reactions of the two elected officials in charge.
Gov. Calvin Coolidge, 1919: "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time."
Mayor Mumbles Menino, 2004: "It's all about political shenanigans."
Granted, the Boston cops are not on strike - it's been against the law since the last time they went out. And so far this year they have violated no laws.
But the larger problem is the utter ineptitude of Mumbles Menino. Although maybe I shouldn't be too hard on him - he came on my show last night for the first time in 11 years.
But when he started talking about the economic benefits of "100 parties," I started thinking of the old Rod Stewart line, "I suppose you're thinking, 'I bet he's sinking or he wouldn't get in touch with me.'"
Hizzoner forgot Murphy's Law - whatever can go wrong, will. And now it has. Mumbles hadn't faced any serious political threats for so long that he forgot what it's like when you run into another junkyard dog, which is what Tommy Nee is.
You can't blame Nee or his cop union. They haven't had a contract in three years. Plus, they're cops. They seen their opportunity, as the old Tammany Hall pol said, and they took it. Now they carry signs around the FleetCenter - "No Contract, No Convention."
I'm keeping my fingers crossed. How about you?
What was Mumbles thinking of? He was in Springfield in 1990 for the Democratic convention when the cops out there threw up a picket line and delayed the start of the balloting for three hours.
Back then everybody decided it was some kind of Republican-Bulger conspiracy. Some conspiracy - the cops wanted a raise.
So here's how it's played out. The cops got the Quinn bill in 2001, and in return, the jakes got a big raise, so now the cops want the same money as the BFD, plus more, even though they're already ahead with the Quinn bill.
And now the cops are dragging everybody else into the middle of this nightmare. On Causeway Street yesterday, electricians from the two IBEW unions were sometimes coming close to blows. Those guys need the work - neither 103 nor 2222 has too many members making $290,000 a year, the way the Pike electricians do.
Every day there's more bad news. Monday, the MBTA announces it's going to start stopping and searching whoever it damn well pleases. The cops already had made a similar announcement about passenger cars. And the Cirque du Soleil is going to cancel three shows at Suffolk Downs.
The reason? With all the road closures during the convention, no one would be able to get there. It's not the end of the world, of course, and besides, everyone will find somewhere else to go.
Probably New Hampshire.
Now the state and city workers are being asked to take off that week. Are you kidding me? Any hack worth his disability pension knows that in the end, they're all going to be ordered to stay home. Thank you Mumbles. Oh, of course he isn't solely to blame for this fiasco. Remember, this was supposed to be the capstone of Ted Kennedy's career. Nobody blames him for this. But he never gets blamed for anything he does. He's a Kennedy and he's a legislator - he gets a double free ride.
Where the hell is Calvin Coolidge when you really need him?
Howie Carr's radio show can be heard weekday afternoons on WRKO AM 680, WHYN AM 560, WGAN AM 560, WEIM AM 1280 and WXTK 95.1 FM.
Lawyers for Mayor Thomas M. Menino are filing a federal court challenge against FleetCenter protesters today to force them to make way for delivery trucks and construction workers as Democratic National Convention organizers face the prospect of a third day of construction delays.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Menino to fight pickets in court
Wants the way cleared for FleetCenter work
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
Lawyers for Mayor Thomas M. Menino are filing a federal court challenge against FleetCenter protesters today to force them to make way for delivery trucks and construction workers as Democratic National Convention organizers face the prospect of a third day of construction delays.
A raucous police-led picket line set back convention organizers' tight construction schedule for the second straight day yesterday as truck drivers from the Teamsters union again refused to cross. About a dozen workers did cross the picket line, and some plywood and floor-protecting materials were delivered. But at least two cement trucks and a flatbed carrying sheet rock were turned away by heckling crowds, forcing officials to cancel plans to start pouring the concrete foundation of a convention media center.
A crane trying to make its way onto the worksite was also turned back after picketing union members refused to yield on Causeway Street. The driver inched into a crowd of pickets but then turned away as on-duty police officers made only half-hearted attempts to clear union protesters from his path.
Accusing the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association of violating an agreement reached last week in federal court, city lawyers will return to court this morning to ask US District Court Judge Joseph Tauro to order pickets to allow individuals and vehicles through, under penalty of arrest.
"The expectation was that it was going to be an informational leafleting, and that there would be absolutely clear and unobstructed ... passage of construction vehicles onto the construction site," said Merita Hopkins, Boston's corporation counsel, at a City Hall news conference late yesterday afternoon. "We're on a very tight time frame. That's why it's important to get construction vehicles in there."
The legal challenge comes as a longstanding war of words is having a tangible effect on plans for the event where US Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts will formally accept the Democratic nomination for president. The delays have concerned national Democratic leaders, who are working behind the scenes to see if they can help settle Boston's contracts with city workers.
US Senator Edward M. Kennedy has reached out to national labor leaders, including the president of the AFL-CIO, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe spoke to Menino about the labor issues Tuesday. Aides say both men are growing concerned about the labor impasse, but are avoiding direct intervention for now in the hope that Menino can settle the contracts on his own.
Convention organizers had planned the conversion of the FleetCenter down to the day, and with the convention now barely six weeks away, they consider every hour of construction precious. Some members of building and construction trade unions from the private sector, including electrical workers from IBEW Local 222 and Teamsters, are honoring picket lines, which has thrown the construction timeline into doubt. If delays continue planners could be forced to cut corners and costs could soar due to overtime payments and the necessity of putting more workers on the job.
Thomas J. Nee, president of the patrolmen's association, said there was no merit to the city's claims that pickets have blocked access. He said trucks that turned away could have gotten through the crowds of pickets if they continued forward, but the drivers chose not to.
Nee said the driver of the crane must have "searched his heart" and decided to turn away. "No one put a hand on the wheel. He could have cleared right through the crowd," he said.
Nee said the city was caught off guard by the private-sector union members -- particularly Teamsters driving delivery trucks -- who have chosen to honor the picket line.
"I don't think they were prepared for us to take it to this level," Nee said. "We're going to continue."
Police union leaders said they would have their lawyers in court today to counter the city's claims and promised to comply with any judicial orders. Last week's agreement stipulated that police could picket on FleetCenter property at side and back entrances. Many of yesterday's confrontations, including the one involving the crane, occurred on Causeway Street in front of the arena, which is public property. The agreement requires pickets on the street not prevent vehicles or individuals from entering.
Shawmut Design and Construction, the project's general contractor, was able to get about a dozen laborers and electricians into the FleetCenter yesterday. A company official said that number should have been sufficient for the jobs that were scheduled. The day before, about half the 50 members of a local carpenters union and Laborers Local 133 who were slated to work chose to not cross the picket line, and some construction materials were not delivered when Teamsters did not drive onto the job site.
Yesterday's work was hampered by a lack of supplies. The crane was needed to move Jersey barriers from the site of the old Boston Garden, where convention officials are putting up a two-story temporary structure to house members of the news media during the event. They're trying to make progress on that project by next Tuesday, when some 600 members of the national news media are scheduled to tour the FleetCenter area.
"It's tough to do our work," said Thomas Goemaat, Shawmut's president and chief executive. "We're just pawns in this game."
Yesterday's picketing drew far fewer participants than the hundreds who came out Tuesday, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for with loud voices. Dozens arrived before dawn, and they shouted "scab" and "shame on you" at construction workers who attempted to cross in the early-morning hours.
One man on a motorcycle tried to fend off the insults coming his way, shouting back "I have a family to feed" as protesters swarmed him on his way into the FleetCenter. As he reappeared from inside the gate a few minutes later, still on his motorcycle, a protester yelled after him, "Careful where you're parking -- we got meter maids."
The day was marked by long periods of relative quiet, interrupted by moments of drama. About 50 pickets -- including off-duty police officers, firefighters, and city clerical workers -- walked in circles in front of the loading area along Causeway Street. Ten on-duty police officers kept casual watch, waving traffic through, leaning against orange traffic cones, and sharing small talk with the pickets. And a half-dozen officials from Shawmut and the Democratic National Convention Committee huddled on the other side of Causeway Street, where they devised fresh plans to get supplies into the building.
After the confrontation involving the crane, the Boston Police Department beefed up its uniformed presence around 11 a.m., with Superintendent James M. Claiborne personally overseeing about 30 officers on Causeway Street, and dozens more at other spots in the FleetCenter area. After earlier deliveries were unsuccessful, planners tried one more: A truck carrying sheet rock tried to get up a ramp in the back of the building, but stopped at a picket line at the base. About 10 union members refused to move, and, after about 10 minutes, the truck left.
City officials continue to have confidence in the Police Department's ability to enforce the law at the FleetCenter, even with the protests being led by fellow officers, said Hopkins, the city counsel.
Regardless of how the judge rules, Hopkins said the city will ensure trucks and equipment are allowed to enter the work site.
"We have alternatives," she said. "And one of the alternatives quite frankly is to arrest, but we don't want to arrest."
Hopkins expressed confidence that the city can move forward in its negotiations with the firefighters' union and Service Employees International Union, two other large city unions that lack contracts.
Globe correspondent Heather Allen and Patrick Healy of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
With the police union and its supporters threatening to shut down DNC work for a third day, City Hall wants a federal judge to put teeth into a previous order restricting what the union can do around the FleetCenter.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Tell it to the judge:
Menino in court bid to bust cop picket line
By Scott Van Voorhis and Jack Meyers
Mayor Thomas M. Menino will go to court today in a bid to break the union gridlock that has stalled the FleetCenter's renovation for next month's Democratic National Convention.
With the police union and its supporters threatening to shut down DNC work for a third day, City Hall wants a federal judge to put teeth into a previous order restricting what the union can do around the FleetCenter.
Convention organizers have just 47 days to get the FleetCenter ready for the thousands of Democratic delegates attending the four-day event to nominate a presidential candidate, as well as media from around the world.
The $14 million project includes connecting phone lines and removing seats to accommodate a large speakers' stage.
Construction union leaders loyal to Menino have ordered their members to cross the picket lines and report for duty at the North Station sports arena, a top trade union official confirmed. Local construction unions are also expected to sign a project labor agreement today that includes a "no strike pledge."
While the head of the Boston building trades union council defended the move, some rank-and-file members feel caught in the middle.
"I am a union member and I am ashamed by what is happening," said one laborers' local member moving a large metal cabinet just inside fencing around the Fleet. "We were ordered by our union to come to work."
The police union, claiming it has gone for years without a raise, has vowed to stop preparations for the DNC until Menino comes through with a new contract. The city has offered an 11.9 percent raise over four years.
In court today, city officials will ask a federal judge to enforce an earlier ruling that restricted police to informational picketing. The city will seek to prevent union members from stopping trucks from entering the FleetCenter's confines, though city lawyer Merita Hopkins said there are no plans to have on-duty police officers arrest their protesting counterparts.
In a showdown yesterday morning, pickets from the police union and an array of other city unions turned back a crane that tried to enter the FleetCenter's gates with shouts of "scab" and a stream of angry invective.
The driver, after several attempts to nudge his crane forward, threw up his hands, evoking wild cheering from the picketers.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," yelled Thomas Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, at a construction manager who tried to guide the truck through.
Nee argued later "we didn't block anything" and said he saw no legal grounds for the city's court request.
The crane and trucks that refused to brave the picket lines have hamstrung workers who reported to the FleetCenter with few of the supplies needed to begin work, the executive overseeing the project has said.
The ugly dispute presents a unique challenge to the Democratic Party, which was built on the foundation of organized labor, and to the national labor movement, which is determined to secure a victory for hometown candidate John Kerry [related, bio] in November.
"I suspect that this is an issue that has the attention of everyone in the highest levels of the American labor movement," said Steven Grossman, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "To allow a convention to be impacted by an action like this is, simply put, unthinkable."
Union delays in the giant job of transforming the FleetCenter into a national political stage could squeeze the already cash-strapped organizers of the Democratic National Convention.
Overtime needed to make up for lost time could hike the $14 million price tag for revamping the North Station sports arena, union officials involved in the work say.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Clock's ticking, no one's working and Dems will foot bill
By Scott Van Voorhis
Union delays in the giant job of transforming the FleetCenter into a national political stage could squeeze the already cash-strapped organizers of the Democratic National Convention.
Overtime needed to make up for lost time could hike the $14 million price tag for revamping the North Station sports arena, union officials involved in the work say.
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association has stalled the FleetCenter's revamp by two days so far with its line of pickets outside the arena. The union says it will keep the pressure on until Mayor Thomas M. Menino comes through with a new contract.
The project is already operating under a tight time-frame. The schedule allows only seven weeks to tear out sections of the FleetCenter and rebuild it into a television-friendly stage for the Democratic Party's presidential nominating convention.
Even if the police union's blockade is lifted this week, the union that represents crucial telecommunications workers says it may have to bring in an extra contingent to get the job done.
Supply trucks turned away by the police picket lines are costing companies money - and that bill also could be passed on to the DNC.
Ed Owens' Everett moving company arrived Tuesday for the start of construction, only to have the drivers of his 18 trucks turn back after encountering angry union protesters. Owens said he has not yet decided who will pick up the bill.
"The moving companies, everyone under the sun is losing money," said Joe Nigro, head of the local union building trades council, whose members are working on the FleetCenter revamp.
By all accounts, Democratic big shots, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, have grown increasingly angry and vocal about the standoff and are cranking up the pressure on the mayor to solve the problem.
One way or another, the city can't let the work stoppage inside the FleetCenter go on much longer. Unless construction starts soon, the renovations can't get done in time, the convention is marred and Menino stands to lose what he wanted from the event - four days to showcase the city.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 10, 2004
A battle of wits, guts: Will city call union bluff?
By Jack Meyers
The strategies in the tense standoff between Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the police union can be described in two words: "isolation" and "leverage."
For the mayor, the strategy is to isolate the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, which has effectively blocked work to retrofit the FleetCenter for the July Democratic National Convention as a protest over stalled contract talks.
Menino administration officials believe the BPPA's demands are so far beyond the city's means and its leadership is so unreasonable that there may be no agreement before the convention.
Senate President Robert E. Travaglini, historically a friend of labor, backed Menino's "good faith" contract offers and blamed the stalemate on union leaders' "unwillingness" to negotiate.
"I drove by the FleetCenter myself yesterday. I witnessed what was occurring and I was disappointed," Travaglini (D-East Boston) said. "This is a tremendous opportunity that we have in this city to showcase Boston as an international city."
Many mayoral advisers appear resigned to having police picketing at convention events.
One way of isolating the BPPA is to get the other big unions, such as the firefighters and Service Employees International Union Local 888, under agreement.
The city nearly had a deal done with SEIU over the weekend, although that fell apart Monday. Nevertheless, people close to both sides said there's no reason a pact couldn't get put together again quickly.
"And the Fire Department is within striking distance," said one source close to the situation.
The BPPA's strategy is simple - use the leverage provided by the convention to pressure Menino into agreeing to a favorable deal. The BPPA is looking for a four-year pact with a total wage hike of 15 percent or more.
After two days of blocking construction work at the FleetCenter, the BPPA and several other unions have a taste of victory. The construction schedule for transforming the arena into a convention hall is already off and will get worse every day deliveries and contractors don't get through the pickets.
By all accounts, Democratic big shots, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, have grown increasingly angry and vocal about the standoff and are cranking up the pressure on the mayor to solve the problem.
One way or another, the city can't let the work stoppage inside the FleetCenter go on much longer. Unless construction starts soon, the renovations can't get done in time, the convention is marred and Menino stands to lose what he wanted from the event - four days to showcase the city.
Elisabeth J. Beardsley contributed to this report.
Even if the FleetCenter can be retrofitted in time for the convention, this week's delay could end up boosting costs if workers have to work overtime to finish the job.
Convention organizers were planning to host 600 members of the national media next week, to discuss logistics and show off the construction in and around the FleetCenter. Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe was expected to attend. It was unclear yesterday if the media gathering would still take place.
FleetCenter officials say it's up to the Democrats to make sure the site is ready for their party.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Delays could prove costly for DNC
FleetCenter work behind schedule
By Scott S. Greenberger, Globe Staff
This week's delay in transforming the FleetCenter for the upcoming Democratic National Convention leaves organizers and construction crews with little time to waste.
The Democrats and the FleetCenter blocked out 48 days to prepare the arena for the four-day convention, which begins July 26. It is unclear how much leeway, if any, is built into that schedule: The Democratic National Convention Committee and Shawmut Design and Construction, which is overseeing the project, declined to comment yesterday.
When Shawmut won the convention job in January, Shawmut vice president James Stukel described it as "a complex and time-sensitive project."
Several hundred workers are supposed to lay about 4,000 miles of video and audio cable, add 500 tons of extra air-conditioning coolant, and install hundreds of electrical outlets. To make room for the roughly 30-by-90-foot platform that will be the center of the action, they will have to remove as many as 2,000 seats from the arena's lower tier.
Workers also have to build about 20 temporary offices in the loading area near the locker rooms and lay about 21,000 square feet of carpeting. They will take down the ceilings and walls to convert some of the arena's 104 executive suites into miniature studios for the television networks, and construct two media work areas on either side of the platform.
Other reporters will be housed in a huge tent next to the FleetCenter. Building the tent was to begin this week, but the project stalled when a crane and a cement truck were turned back by the picket line in front of the arena.
Even if the FleetCenter can be retrofitted in time for the convention, this week's delay could end up boosting costs if workers have to work overtime to finish the job.
Convention organizers were planning to host 600 members of the national media next week, to discuss logistics and show off the construction in and around the FleetCenter. Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe was expected to attend. It was unclear yesterday if the media gathering would still take place.
FleetCenter officials say it's up to the Democrats to make sure the site is ready for their party.
"As of eight o'clock [Monday] morning, we officially turned over the keys to the DNCC," Jim Delaney, FleetCenter's director of marketing and public relations, said yesterday. "We're in essence just the landlord, and they've rented the building starting June 8 through Aug. 13, the date we get the building back from them."
Anyone in this town with a sense of history - or a really good clip file - has to look at the police picket-line chaos around the FleetCenter and wonder if the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association got ahold of the former GOP operative's old playbook.
Kaufman was credited or blamed - depending on your point of view - and eventually sued by angry and embarrassed Democrats for orchestrating the disruption of the 1990 Democratic State Convention in Springfield....
The convention was an utter disaster for the party and its endorsed nominee (Frank Bellotti). It finally staggered to a close after 11 p.m., with no officially endorsed candidates for lower constitutional offices....
Meanwhile the BPPA has succeeded in infuriating the taxpaying public, tearing apart the ties that usually bind organized labor and embarrassing a Democratic administration.
And this time they seem to have accomplished all that without GOP guidance.
Way to go, guys!
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, June 10, 2004
How to sabotage Dems without help from GOP
By Rachelle G. Cohen
OK Ron Kaufman, put your hands on the table where we can see 'em!
Anyone in this town with a sense of history - or a really good clip file - has to look at the police picket-line chaos around the FleetCenter and wonder if the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association got ahold of the former GOP operative's old playbook.
Kaufman was credited or blamed - depending on your point of view - and eventually sued by angry and embarrassed Democrats for orchestrating the disruption of the 1990 Democratic State Convention in Springfield.
A notorious mischief-maker for Republican causes, Kaufman was at the time serving in the first Bush administration after having helped engineer an endorsement of Bush the Elder by the Boston and Springfield police unions in the 1988 campaign against Gov. Mike Dukakis.
In June 1990, the Democrats were set to choose a nominee for governor when members of the Springfield police union threw a picket line around the convention center, causing union-loving and utterly befuddled Democrats to stop dead in their tracks - for four hours.
The convention was an utter disaster for the party and its endorsed nominee (Frank Bellotti). It finally staggered to a close after 11 p.m., with no officially endorsed candidates for lower constitutional offices.
Kaufman's fingerprints were all over the debacle. But, of course, it wasn't that tricky a stunt to pull off, when you think about it. These are Democrats, after all, and like lemmings they tend to behave in predictable ways, especially when their union-adoring sensibilities are put on the line.
The picketing didn't end that day in Springfield until lawyers for the party got an injunction against the union.
Ah, now there's a concept! At least one lesson wasn't lost on one Democrat left to swelter in the Springfield sun that day.
Tom Menino, then a mere city councilor, was one of the few Democrats who wasn't blaming Kaufman or the GOP.
Menino insisted at the time that party leaders knew "six weeks ago there was a real prospect of police picket lines and we as a party should have done something about that much earlier."
Now he's the guy in charge and yesterday the city's top lawyer, Merita Hopkins, announced the city would be in federal court today to ask for an injunction to halt the BPPA picketing.
Of course, even should the picketing be ended, the "fun" is still just beginning.
In Los Angeles in August 2000, organized labor signed a "labor peace agreement" - after months of negotiating - just a couple of weeks before the convention. But that agreement concerned union workers inside the Staples Center. Outside, while there were no picket lines, marches and demonstrations by a host of public employee unions during the convention snarled traffic for hours, causing some delegates to miss the very event for which they had traveled to L.A.
Now there's a little something we can all look forward to - even if there is a labor peace agreement eventually here.
Meanwhile the BPPA has succeeded in infuriating the taxpaying public, tearing apart the ties that usually bind organized labor and embarrassing a Democratic administration.
And this time they seem to have accomplished all that without GOP guidance.
Way to go, guys!
In his previous battles with unions, Menino has stood his ground, just as he has this time with the BPPA -- at least at first. He resisted the demands of firefighters in 2001, for example, even as they supported his election opponent, Peggy Davis-Mullen. They dogged him at public appearances with embarrassing protests. He gave in, just before the election, handing firefighters a contract that included hefty raises and generous extensions of sick leave, a contract fiscal watchdogs decried as overly generous.
That concession, and others like it, may be driving the police union to test his resolve, said Samuel R. Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau.
"Part of the reason we're seeing what we're seeing is that, in the last round of contracts, the unions learned if they gave the mayor a hard time, if they follow him around and picket, in the end, he would back down and agree to a more generous contract," Tyler said. "That is what happened with the last police contract, the firefighters' contract, the teachers' contract."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Mayor pressured from all sides
By Yvonne Abraham and Patrick Healy, Globe Staff
As he nears what should be the crowning achievement of his tenure, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is finding himself increasingly isolated: His allies in the labor movement are not at his side, national Democrats are growing frustrated with him, and even some delegates are threatening to stay away from the Democratic National Convention.
The mayor, lauded and criticized as a micromanager, is suddenly at the center of a situation he cannot easily manage. He has played tough with the Boston police union for many months, refusing to give in to its salary demands, saying the city cannot afford them. For the second day in a row, members of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association have pressured workers at the entrances to the FleetCenter.
"This is something I wanted to bring to Boston," Menino said of the convention. "But I have an obligation. Do I sell the city out for [it]? Whatever I do, I'm going to make sure the taxpayers can afford it."
As Menino struggles to find a solution, national Democratic leaders are becoming increasingly concerned that he has not made more progress. For weeks, they deferred to Menino, who assured them he would head off any disruptions. Now, they're exerting pressure behind the scenes but are still relying on him to resolve the impasse.
"The senator's frustration is rising, that's fair to say, but he feels that this is a city issue and he can only do so much," said one Democratic Party official who is close to US Senator Edward M. Kennedy. "He's making a lot of calls, but it's just outreach right now. We'll take the cues from the mayor for now. There's a point when cues stop, but I don't know when that is."
In recent days Kennedy has contacted AFL-CIO leader John Sweeney, other labor leaders in Washington, and top Massachusetts Democrats and congressmen to open as many channels as possible to urge the Boston unions to put an end to the pickets at the FleetCenter.
Menino said yesterday that national politicians might be able to help by prevailing upon the patrolmen's union to be more reasonable, but acknowledged that in the end, it is up to him.
"The only way anyone can help is if they give us a barrel full of money," Menino said yesterday.
In any case, Menino advisers said, the BPPA may not be susceptible to lobbying from national Democrats: the union -- among the most active and unpredictable in the city -- endorsed Republican George H.W. Bush instead of then-Massachusetts governor Michael S. Dukakis in 1988.
With Democratic Party officials slated to escort hundreds of reporters and cameramen through the FleetCenter on Tuesday to showcase the convention site, the clock is ticking. Some Democratic operatives have thrown out ideas -- asking former House minority leader and two-time presidential candidate Richard A. Gephardt, a close friend of the unions, to act as a third-party emissary; seeking federal assistance to ease the city's spending-and-revenue crunch -- but none seemed entirely practical.
Menino has had trouble with union negotiations before. He has been dogged by pickets at Christmas tree lightings and State of the City addresses. But this time, a national spotlight shines on him and on the city he was hoping to reintroduce to the nation as a cradle of innovation and sophistication. This time, the unions are forcing Menino to choose between his concern for the fiscal health of the city and his determination to make good on the promise he made when Boston was chosen -- that his would be a smooth and trouble-free convention.
In his previous battles with unions, Menino has stood his ground, just as he has this time with the BPPA -- at least at first. He resisted the demands of firefighters in 2001, for example, even as they supported his election opponent, Peggy Davis-Mullen. They dogged him at public appearances with embarrassing protests. He gave in, just before the election, handing firefighters a contract that included hefty raises and generous extensions of sick leave, a contract fiscal watchdogs decried as overly generous.
That concession, and others like it, may be driving the police union to test his resolve, said Samuel R. Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau.
"Part of the reason we're seeing what we're seeing is that, in the last round of contracts, the unions learned if they gave the mayor a hard time, if they follow him around and picket, in the end, he would back down and agree to a more generous contract," Tyler said. "That is what happened with the last police contract, the firefighters' contract, the teachers' contract."
But, Tyler added, the city was in a much stronger fiscal position in the last round of union negotiations, and the mayor can ill afford similar concessions now.
Menino has tried to solve the impasse with the BPPA by cutting deals with other unions, hoping to leave the BPPA isolated and more willing to compromise. He came close to agreements with several major unions, including the police detectives, only to see them fall away at the last minute.
Now, as the battle intensifies and the city heads to court, people close to him say Menino is irritated, but also seems confident. He did not appear at any public events yesterday, which a press aide said was unrelated to the furor at the FleetCenter. Late in the day, his office called a press conference to discuss the city's legal challenge to the picket, but instead of appearing before reporters, Menino sent corporation counsel Merita Hopkins out to face them alone.
Menino proposed taking the negotiations to arbitration, a move that could resolve the stalemate quickly, and, potentially, make the battle less personal. The union has rejected the arbitration offer. And yesterday, at least, neither side seemed ready to retreat from combative rhetoric.
The mayor bristled yesterday when he was asked, during a telephone interview, if he was embarrassed by the police picket that is garnering national attention.
"It's not embarrassing to me," he said. "It should be embarrassing to the union leadership ordering them to picket. They're the people preventing people from getting a day's wage, not me."
Globe staff members Glen Johnson and Rick Klein and Globe correspondent Elise Castelli contributed to this story.
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