Reverend Al coming to New Haven
As the battle between the mayor and unions heats up, labor is bringing in a heavy hitter: Rev. Al Sharpton. Police union brass has decided not to join this parade.
Sharpton, the nationally-known activist, preacher, and radio talk-show host, is scheduled appear at a union rally on the Green and march on City Hall on Monday afternoon. He’ll be joined there by AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders.
Council 4 AFSCME, the union that represents 1,500 city workers, announced the visit and the rally.
Larry Dorman, a spokesman for Council 4, said that Sharpton and Saunders have spoken together recently in several states. Their message in New Haven will be “about stopping the assault on the middle class and stopping continued attacks on middle class workers who happen to have union representation,” Dorman said.
Police Union President Louis Cavaliere, who last month led another anti-layoff downtown march last month, told his members at meeting Wednesday night that the executive board has decided not to participate.
“Al Sharpton is anti-police. Why would I want to be up there and embrace a man who has been against cops his whole career?” Cavaliere said in a conversation Friday.
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