Update: Wausau, Wis. Mayor Tells Labor Day Union Sponsors to Invite GOP Pols or Pay All Costs
By Tom Blumer | August 30, 2011 | 21:42
The plot thickens.
On Sunday (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), I noted that "GOP politicians aren't welcome in this year's Labor Day parade" in Wausau, Wisconsin, because, according to the Marathon County Central Labor Council, which until today apparently thought it was the only sponsor of said parade, "organizers choose not to invite elected officials who have openly attacked worker's rights."
The Labor Council found out today from Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple that they are not the parade's only sponsor, as a video replay of a local station's news segment at Breitbart (HT to NB commenter "DaChew") informs us (transcript follows the jump; bolds are mine throughout):
Story Continues Below Ad ↓... Wausau's mayor is now calling on Labor Day parade organizers to let Republicans participate.
We first broke the news last week that Marathon County labor leaders had decided not to include the GOP in this year's parade.
Well now Mayor Jim Tipple says the city is a cosponsor of the parade because it pays the insurance premium, builds a stage and provides city services during the parade for free.
Tipple released a statement this afternoon saying, quote: "The banning of a political party at any event co-sponsored by the city is against public policy and not in the best interest of all the citizens ... we encourage the event organizer to invite all interested parties, or reimburse the city for other costs."
Reuters also has coverage containing additional items of interest, and a "clever" instance of bias by omission:
... The move in Wausau, Wisconsin, came after a county labor official said last week that Republican politicians were not welcome at the event due to their party's stance against collective bargaining when state lawmakers voted to curtail it earlier this year.
Wausau Mayor Jim Tipple told Reuters on Tuesday that the decision to exclude elected Republicans "flies in the face of public policy."
"This is not a political rally, it's a parade, for God's sake," Tipple said, noting that taxpayer money is used by the city to pay for staging the event. Tipple's office is nonpartisan, and he claims no affiliation with either political party.
He said the annual cost of the parade, including insurance, setting up and taking down a stage, and police personnel, runs anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 each year.
... (Marathon County Labor Council President Randy) Radtke told WAOW-TV in Wausau that the labor council stood by its decision to ban Republicans. Tipple said he had not been told if the labor council planned to pay the costs.
Note that the first Reuters paragraph leaves readers who might somehow be unaware of the Badger State's dramatics earlier this year (the engaged readers who come here might be surprised at how many people are indeed unaware) with the impression that GOP lawmakers curtailed collective bargaining rights for all unionized workers in the state. The item finally makes it clear that the legislation affected only public-sector employees in Paragraph 7 of 10. I wonder why (no, not really)?
Here's more from WLS in Chicago, with some Associated Press input:
Mayor Jim Tipple told WLS Radio's Bruce Wolf and Dan Proft show that the city provides an insurance premium, a stage setup and police traffic control for the parade. Tipple says the city will require the Labor Council to reimburse the city for those expenses if its decision isn't reversed.
"They will underwrite the cost of the parade that we normally would do for them. If that happens, the parade will still go on. They have the permit that was issued by the city. That'll happen," Tipple said.
Should the Labor Council continue to refuse to reverse their decision, Tipple said he wouldn't be surprised if the parade was boycotted. Tipple says if someone wished, they could throw a parade that was inclusive of Republicans.
Unsolicited financial advice to Mayor Tipple: Don't let a GOP-forbidding parade start without a 100% upfront payment.
Also, an unsolicited observation: It seems that if Mayor Tipple intends to continue to have the city co-sponsor the parade if the union doesn't change its stance, he will no longer be as "nonpartisan" as he claims to be, even if the union reimburses the city's costs. I would certainly expect that at a minimum he won't ride in the parade as he has done in previous years (as seen in the video).
Parting question: Will the Labor Council give in, or will there be a MoveOn.org fundraiser to keep the rascally Republicans off the parade route on Labor Day?
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Comments
SHOCKER
Submitted by KornKing on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:17pm.
We have to pay our own costs?
Comments I am reading
Submitted by Bob K on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:29pm.
at a well known leftist website run the gamut from "We should donate and pay ofr it ourselves" (Yeah, that'll happen. LoL) to "Let them march so we can scream at them the whole way. The last is a distinct possibility.
Are you kidding me?
Submitted by gmaniac1 on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 12:12am.
When have the groveling worms on the left ever wanted to pay entirely for something in the public arena out of their own pocket, even when they have had the money. If the liberal dolts can siphon out of the taxpayer to pay for their one-sided view we all know they are shameless enough to do it.
Affiliation?
Submitted by km2002 on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 1:16am.
Does anyone know which party, if any, Mayor Tipple is part of? I've been looking all over the web and can find no reference to party, not even on his own election material (of which I found one specimen). I'm guessing he's not a Democrat: Not politic to buck your overlords like that, y'know.
Reuters ...
Submitted by Tom Blumer on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 6:25am.
... said that "Tipple's office is nonpartisan, and he claims no affiliation with either political party."
I couldn't find any indication of party preference either.
It Is Just So Unfair, The UAW Never Has To Pay Their Own Way
Submitted by Avitar on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 1:31am.
Look at it this way, if you pay for it,
then it is your party and you can cry if you want to.
Labor Day should be changed
Submitted by dr-go on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 6:18am.
to Featherbedding Day.
unions
Submitted by kinijane on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 6:38am.
The people in WI have spoken and it looks like a lot of sour grapes to me.
You have a minority trying to make the majority bend to their will, pay their
way and kiss their (royal) rears. Time to suck it up folks, act like grown ups
accept the fact that you lost and get on with life.
Gotta love Reuters' story's "helpful" background
Submitted by Great Debater on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 8:32am.
Reuters just had to add some "helpful" background to explain why the disagreement is there ... where they "accidentally" only said "due to their party's stance against collective bargaining when state lawmakers voted to curtail it earlier this year"
... rather than the FAR more correct "... against collective bargaining FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ..."
I guess those 6 extra words weren't helpful enough to justify the extra ink ... or, maybe, the author is SO in the tank he has forgotten that fact.
Don't forget that ...
Submitted by Tom Blumer on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 9:16am.
... the bandwidth for those six extra words would have been sooooo expensive.
Profit
Submitted by Utherpend on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 9:16am.
Why are they giving them a break on the insurance and the fees for set up and police, they should make a profit off the event and show the people of Wausau they are looking out for them.
Time for another recall, obviously
Submitted by ThisnThat on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 9:40am.
The labor union will demand a recall of the Wausau mayor.
And then AP can print the following: "Wisconsin's labor unions are starting a recall petition against the Wausau, WI mayor today for joining Republicans in the demand that the labor union use their dues to pay for the city's non-political annual labor day parade. This all stems from Republican attempts to politicize the parade on a day where the unions were simply trying to show their patriotism and support for the working families of Wausau, WI".
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
It seems to me...
Submitted by HelenS on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 9:48am.
It would not surprise me if they (the worms on the left) carried their tantrum to the limit and insisted on keeping the Republicans out of their parade. And having done so, they find out that even if they spend $2500 on it, no one is interested in attending!
I really believe that the only way they would get any kind of turn out is if they just shut up and let the tax-payers pay. That way they can wallow in self-righteousness and pretend it could have been different.
In fact, I HOPE they insist on having their own parade. And then I would encourage the Republicans and other intelligent people to throw their own counter parade somewhere else and see who has the best party!
Me - "The libs/dems of today are the Quislings of former years - the cowards who would vote a fraud into office in exchange for handouts from the devil."
The amount mentioned
Submitted by texasborngranny on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 10:56am.
($1500 - $2000) seems, to me, too low to cover the cost of insurance, setting up and taking down a stage, and police personnel for the parade.
That seemed light ...
Submitted by Tom Blumer on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 11:16am.
... to me too.
We have found the FRONT
Submitted by vote24 on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 1:16pm.
To the FRONT!!!