Calif. Labor Federation Tweet-fest

Katy Grimes: You’ve just got to love Twitter for those moments in life when reporters are banned from covering events.

Yesterday and today, the California Labor Federation’s joint legislative conference has been in full-swing, but was announced as closed to reporters (there’s a lot of that going around).

However, from the comfort of my office, and because of that internet thing called Twitter, I was able to follow the conference yesterday… in a sound bite fashion.

Some of the comments that came from the California Labor Twitter account allowed a peak inside the heads of California labor, as well as the Democratic politicians who appeared and spoke to the labor group.

And whoever was responsible for the social media for the federation, posted Tweets continuously for two hours from the conference, identifying who the speakers were. Taken out of context of a full speech, the statements are hilarious:

Bob Balgenorth of the Building Trades: Unions are not this countries [sic] enemies! Corporations, Politicians and corrupt business people are!

Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg: Because of your work, we passed Prop 25 so we can pass a budget on a simple majority vote.

Steinberg: This is a historic week, because this is the week that the GOP must do their duty and allow voters to have a voice on CA budget.

Steinberg: If the people don’t have the choice to vote, we will be forced to make another $12.5 billion in cuts. Can‘t have it both ways.

Assembly Speaker John Perez: I believe Californians deserve the opportunity to weigh in on tax extensions, and we will get it on the ballot.

Perez: This is an historic opportunity to come together and take control of California’s finances.

Perez: The California budget has got to be a collective expression of our values as people and Californians. That’s the only path forward!

Assemblyman Labor Committee Chairman, Sandre Swanson: We can’t be an open hand. We’ve got to be a closed fist. We’ve got to stand together.

and… Swanson is thanking the many unions that have helped his family make a living and retire with security.

Swanson: Campaign to correct injustice in WI is part of value and fabric of what we are.  Turning back 50 years of progress is unacceptable.

California Senate Labor Chairman, Ted Lieu: It’s time to change the narrative – it’s called telling the truth about what caused this economic collapse.

Lieu: Not willing to forget what Wall Street did to our economy & we can’t let people revise history and put blame where it doesn’t belong.

Lieu: We need education and training to add to add that competitive edge to our workforce. As chair, I plan on working on that with you.

Special guest at California Labor event: Bryan Kennedy, President of ATF Wisconsin.

California Labor Federation: Thanks to the generosity of our attendees, we raised $4712 for the WI union workers!

CA Secretary of Labor, Marty Morganstern – We have to win the battle of the California budget, and we can only do it by sticking together the way we did last fall.

Art Pulaski: there’s a concerted effort to take away our rights state by state, from Wall Street to Capitol Hill, from Wisconsin to Costa Mesa.

Pulaski: In Costa Mesa, they outsourced every job, ended collective bargaining, threw out the unions and caused a terrible tragedy.

Bob Balgenorth of the Building Trades: we can sum up Wisconin Gov. Walker’s plan in three words: Gall,  greed and gluttony.

Balgenorth: In the last 30 years, taxes for rich have been cut repeatedly while wages for workers have stagnated, and middle class faces extinction.

**The motto for the California Labor Federation states, “Fighting for California’s working families! We represent more than 2.1 million workers in 1,200 AFL-CIO and Change to Win unions across the state.”

Ah, there’s nothing like protection from  gall, greed and gluttony for California’s families.

MAR. 22, 2011