Make no mistake about it, the food workers union sees Wegmans, and to a somewhat lesser degree, Harris Teeter as a major threat. They have provided financial and logistical support to any effort aimed at derailing the development plans of these two non union stores.
In Maryland, the battle is currently being waged in Crofton and Columbia. Wegmans has announced plans to open stores in both communities and in both communities the union has marshaled its resources in an attempt to stop the stores from opening.
They haven’t always been candid about their actions either.
According to this story by Joshua Stewart in The Capital last year, “A prominent Crofton activist who testified against development atop a fly ash landfill in Gambrills may have violated ethics rules by failing to inform legislators he is a paid lobbyist for a food workers union opposed to a supermarket over the site.”
“If the bill was amended as Mr. Jacobsen proposed, it would stop developer Greenberg Gibbons Commercial from building the Village at Waugh Chapel South, a project with homes, restaurants, a movie theater and a Wegmans grocery store, over a 13-year-old fly ash landfill.”
In Columbia, the union literally created the lead plaintiff in the main suit challenging Wegmans. According to this story by Nate Sandstrom in the Howard County Times last year, an intern cold calling for the union enlisted Phillip Rousseau after knocking on his door.
“Rousseau said he joined the group after a man named Craig Martin approached him at his home this fall and said he represented a group concerned about traffic in the area. Rousseau said he later learned Martin worked for a union group, although he did not know which one.”
The unions concern for fly ash and traffic is fungible. If Wegmans elected to become a union shop, their concerns about rights to petition, traffic, and fly ash would disappear along with their support of the opposition groups, including the federal lawsuit plaintiffs, Paul Kendal, Phillip Rousseau, et al.
The Gift of Human Kindness
6 hours ago
15 comments:
Union $$$ .... Developer $$$ .... Corporate $$$ .... what's the difference? Shouldn't they all be entitled to a level playing field of $$$ influence?
Excellent point, Steve.
Yes Steve, lets all screw free enterprise. Lets prevent any and all businesses from ever coming into the county, and creating more freekin jobs. Now that I think about it, I work for a union printing company. Just think, if we could get all the non-union printing companies to close, or go away, we could charge whatever we damn well please. Thank you so much for enlightening me, I've apparently been seeing this whole competition thing from the wrong perspective.
Buffoon Guy, you're an extremist. Steve said no such thing.
Anon 12:47,
What do you think the union money is for? It is doing exactly what Buffalo Guy said. It is being used to try to block Wegmans and Harris Teeter from opening. How many other organizations or businesses do you see trying to block competition like the food workers union is doing?
The union money isn't leveling the playing field. It is dragging it down into the septic tank.
Nope - I'm about as far from extreme as one can get! I just don't like people who disguise their own agendas to benefit their case, such as with the Food Workers Union saying they are concerned about traffic. My whole agenda is just to be able to shop at Wegmans, what's your "real" agenda anon?
Isn't it just a little disingenuous to complain that an organization whose agenda is different from yours is getting involved in the political process?
Lotsa,
Let's not be so naive as to suggest that some corporations don't utilize all means at their disposal (legal and, yes, sometimes crossing the gray line) to disrupt and destroy the competition.
Do you really want to suggest that any of the $$$ interests really have our best interests at heart?
And neither Steve nor I have said anything pro-union. We're apparently neutral. Obviously you are not, lotsabull and bullguy.
Anon 7:22,
Keep up the childish comments. They are funny. Just like you not being able to tell that you and Steve are not neutral.
Steve,
Where are your facts? I don't see other organizations or businesses funding multiple appeals and lawsuits to stop a competitor from opening. Don't try to say you think others do it so it is OK for the food workers union to do it also.
Steve, No I don't think it's being disingenuous to complain in this case. If the Food Workers Union came right out and said the reason they are dragging this out in court was to block a competitor from opening, I would be more than OK with that. Let them argue that in court, but I don't think that would bode too well with public opinion. My agenda is in earnest, their's is not. With that said, I do agree with you that there are all kinds of shady deals that take place in the business world every day. However, I think that we're talking about only the one issue here.
Unions work hard to benefit their privileged members at the expense of everyone else. Sadly, the most harmful union in Howard County is probably the teachers union. They are strongly opposed to competition with private schools because their members benefit from a lack of competition, even though overall education suffers (along with students). The food workers union is no different. They oppose Wegmans under the guise of traffic concerns and other nonsense, but really they just want to help themselves by limiting shopping options for the rest of us.
You guys still don't get the gist of Steve's post. It's not about a supermarket.
Money is the elixer that our officials crave. Their desperate need to fund the next campaign overwhelms the altruism most of them started with.
If you support the pro-business position then the unions are stopping progress and choice. Likewise, if you support the unions then the business executives and their lawyers are crooks.
If we don't find a way to eliminate the financial incentive, we'll continue to have mediocre representation.
KC, 'money is the elixer our officials crave'. Great line. Sounds like a campaign slogan for 2010 to be repeated early and often.
KC - when you wrote "money is the elixir our officials crave" you forgot to add "somebody SCREAM...
The Honorable Dr. Calvin Ball"
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