New York Hotel Trades Council Endorses Joe Addabbo for State Senate...

The New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, AFL-CIO is endorsing Senator Joe Addabbo for his reelection to the 15th Senate District.

Peter Ward, President of the New York Hotel Trades Council, said, “The hard working women and men of the New York Hotel Trades Council are proud to endorse Joe Addabbo. With thousands of new jobs at the upcoming Aqueduct Race Track casino hanging in the balance, Joe stood strong with our union and with his constituents, fighting to ensure that each and every one of those new jobs would be good jobs where workers are given a voice in the workplace and are treated with respect and dignity. In tough economic times like these, we need thoughtful leaders like Joe Addabbo in Albany, who see projects like Aqueduct as opportunities to create good jobs for New Yorkers and generate positive growth for the state.”

Senator Addabbo said, “It is critical that we keep up our efforts to bring good jobs to the community and revitalize the local economy. I am honored to earn the support of the men and women of the New York Hotel Trades Council, and look forward to continuing to fight for working families.”

The New York Hotel Trades Council represents approximately 28,000 non-managerial employees working in all hotel departments.

Rally Against Proposed Cuts Draws Thousands in New York by Jack Phillips- Epoch Times

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Several thousand union members rallied in front of the City Hall Wednesday, protesting Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposition to cut city workers.

Members from 99 unions around New York City showed up at the rally, which was organized by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget makes cuts to firehouses, swimming pools, senior centers, schools, and day care centers. Approximately 1,500 jobs would be terminated under the proposal.

“We will not be victims, and we will not ever give back things that we worked so hard to get,” said Dennis Hughes, president of AFL-CIO New York.

Many of the unions' spokespersons claimed that the city and state officials have taken shots at union workers in an attempt to legitimize the cuts.

“Our elected officials have a moral obligation to do what it takes to ensure that the most damaging effects of this recession don't hurt our families, or play out in the classrooms, the firehouses, and the day care centers across our city,” said Jack Ahern, president of the New York City Central Labor Council.

“All we're asking for is our share—if they give us our share, we'll take care of the rest,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers.

Bloomberg has asserted that the cuts have to be made in order to close a $4.9 billion budget gap. Several weeks ago, he also said that he would not lay off approximately 4,500 teachers.

Many of Bloomberg's cuts are contingent upon state aid that may or may not be given to the city, pending the passage of the state budget.

Gov. David Paterson said that the state budget would get passed on June 28, more than 11 weeks after its original due date.

According to last month's report from the Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank, the city's economy is poised to bounce back more slowly compared with previous recessions.