Members of a Burlington city employees union are pushing back after their president declared a “unanimous endorsement” of Burlington mayoral candidate Carina Driscoll Wednesday.
Several members of the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees told Seven Days that they do not support Driscoll — and never knew about the endorsement vote.
“There was never an email, never a discussion, none of the union members voted,” said Ted Miles, a Burlington code enforcement inspector who is a member of the AFSCME union. Miles, who said he’d cast his Town Meeting Day ballot for incumbent Mayor Miro Weinberger, also questioned the critiques that other union members had for the current administration.
“It was definitely not any kind of unanimous endorsement by any stretch of the imagination,” Miles said.
Union president Karl LaBounty stood by his claim that the endorsement was unanimous. He said about 20 people — from the AFSCME local 1343, council 93 executive board, department representatives and “a couple” of members — voted in favor of Driscoll, LaBounty told Seven Days Friday. About six of those 20, including LaBounty, actually live in Burlington, he estimated. The union represents approximately 400 Chittenden County municipal workers.
“Everyone present” voted in favor of Driscoll, LaBounty said.
But “none of us were aware of any notice [of the vote] that went out,” said Matthew Perry, a city code enforcement inspector union member. Perry said he would have preferred that the union didn’t take a political stance.
Driscoll, who will face Weinberger and independent Infinite Culcleasure in the March 6 election, also described the endorsement as “unanimous.” She later told Seven Days that she relied on LaBounty’s assessment.
In the two days since that announcement, Driscoll has touted the endorsement on social media and in a press release. “This endorsement is a vote from within city government for change,” she said in her opening statement Thursday evening at a mayoral forum moderated by VTDigger.org.
Weinberger has received endorsements from the Burlington Fire Fighters Association, the Burlington Police Officers Association, and the Vermont Building and Construction Trades Council, which includes local chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300, and the Plumbers and Pipefitters UA 693.
It’s the first time that the AFSCME union has offered an endorsement in recent memory, said Nate Lavery, the union vice president, and it could have been handled better.
“We went through the process, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of all its members,” said Lavery, who works as an inventory control specialist for the Department of Public Works. “It was amateur of us, how it went down.”
LaBounty said that no email went out about the meeting, but said that agendas, and later minutes, were posted at each work site.
There is no typical process by which all unions endorse political candidates. Sean Ploof, president of the Burlington fire fighters’ union, said that his group allowed all members to vote through an online survey.
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Outsider- You are correct in ONE thing. The ballots were sealed in an envelope and mailed to the president’s house, they have to go somewhere. They Were NOT opened by the president and were not counted by the president. The opening of the ballots was done at a union meeting where many stewards were present.
Bill Clinton had to cope with his idiot brother, Bernie Sanders has to cope with his snowflake daughter and her desire for easy money. I guess she feels like shes too important to apply for a real job? Ironic that rich progressives are just as lazy and entitled as wealthy conservatives. Carina, you need to work at a job you earn on your own for a few years, put in real effort, develop actual skills, and demonstrate to us all that you are a minimally capable person. Burlington voters are not as stupid as you seem to think.
Some union members think that if their individual views differ from a position taken by the union a grave injustice and misrepresentation has been perpetrated. To call this presumptuous and self-righteous is a substantial understatement. Unions and other organizations who endorse political candidates typically have a process for doing so and one that is unlikely to involve polling the whole membership. The outcome will rarely please every member, but individual members do not speak for the union or organization as a whole. I expect some members of other organizations who have endorsed other candidates also have conflicting views and allegiances.
This story smacks of dirty politics, a poor understanding of the endorsement process, or both. The Weinberger campaign may have had no hand in this smear, but it does have a habit of accusing opponents of misinformation in the very act of spreading distortions and making false claims all its own.
Hey Saysme…… Where can I read the facts and truth of your last comment for myself? Sounds like a good read. Or a bunch of BS. Either way, enlighten me and everyone else. Thanks!
Driscoll gets her bad smell from her stepfather Sanders who is bankrolling her bid. Despite her saying she would not use her connectons to get elected. That speaks volumes about her trustworthiness or should I say, lack thereof. Cronyism is alive and well in Burlington.
Sadly this is not the only SNAFU attributed to the Afscme president. Rumor has it that he allowed the election for VP to be run HIS way. He got all the ballots sent to his house, so I guess he was able to pick who he wanted and not the folks who actually voted…IF there were any actual voters. Time for a new president Afscme members. Carl sounds sketchy to me. Im glad Im not mixed up in his mess
Everything about Driscoll smells bad. Lets hope the people of Burlington use some common sense and send that grifter packing!
So let’s run the numbers here. 400 union members and only 20 people voted. That’s only 5%. And only 6 of those live in Burlington. That’s 30% of those voting and 1.5% of the voting membership. BUT WAIT, not all of those 20 people who voted are rank-and-file members. Apparently, there was only “a couple.” A couple is two. So two members…out of 400. Quite the mandate!
Whenever a union offers a unanimous endorsement for a candidate or political party , as a taxpayer, I’m going to go the other direction . Unions are important in fighting for their members rights but their interests are usually opposite to mine . In a way it’s a good thing they have endorsed Driscoll . It makes it clear whose interests she will be fighting for . It won’t be for the people who would pay her salary .
Thanks, 7D, for this important follow up. This smells bad.