Complaints of Monopoly Flood in After Latest City Hall Retail Debacle
The U.S. Justice Department is looking into practices by the South Bay Labor Council to determine whether their control of San Jose has violated any antitrust laws in the wake of a failed City Hall retail leasing effort.
At the core of the government’s case against the alleged labor monopoly is the “labor peace” policies crafted by lobbyists, former Hammer aide Bob Brownstein and AT&T attorneys that help protect labor’s stranglehold on vacant space by requiring prospective downtown tenants to guarantee that no labor disputes, arguments, miscommunications or business take place on city owned property.
But labor leaders have vowed to force the city to honor their committment on the original laor peace agreements by hiring famed attorney to the stars, John Michael O’Connor, who says that the Justice Department’s monopoly argument is “bull*@#^.” “You can go to Fremont, Cupertino, Los Gatos or many other south bay cities if you want unfettered freedom to run your business,” he added.
Before the city’s failed retail efforts, there were signs of an imbalance of labor control. Several city council meetings were cancelled due to the absence of a quorum of “labor” votes, Sharks games were postponed due to lack of labor-sponsored beer vendors, and local and long distance calls were consolidated and controlled in San Jose by the labor council.
When asked to comment, labor leader Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins said she wasn’t worried. “I don’t spend my days thinking about antitrust lawsuits,” she said.
Good to see you got the order and spelling of Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins name correct. I have large posters of Bob Brownstein and Phaedra on my bedroom walls. San Jose’s problems would be non-existent had Tom McEnery not shirked his responsibility to the community. Right now Tom McEnery should be in his seventh term as mayor. Our streets would be as smooth as silk and there would be no labor turmoil. Everyone would have a broader vocabulary. By the way Barry Bonds will be found innocent of steroid use. It will be John Michael O’Connor going to prison, guilty of using grumpiness-enhancing drugs in the first degree. J McE IV, who is helping you with your columns? Karl Rove?
They don’t have to fear much. US anti-trust enforcement is pretty weak.
If the EU goes after them on one of their “fact finding” junkets to the south of France, then they might have to worry.
John:
I love the Friday blogs, great satire…or is it?
If the FAT LAZY SLOBS in the South Bay Labor Council and all the union members would get off their FAT LAZY OBESE REAR-ENDS and put in an honest days work, then the taxpayers wouldn’t mind paying them a fair wage. The trouble with city workers is that they are MISERABLE, UNHAPPY PARASITES trying to suck the last drop of blood from the taxpayer. ATTENTION CITY WORKERS, if you don’t like your job, then find A NEW ONE. When a person adds all the holidays, personal days, vacation days, sick days, floating holidays and weekend days city employees receive, the average city employee works about THREE HOURS A WEEK.
George Berlin
#4 Relaxe George, it seems your pretty upset about this. Personally, I’m headed to City Hall to apply for a job. I understand that next year the South Bay Labor Council are asking for Cinco de Maio and Chinese New Years to be declared as legal holidays in San Jose. I can’t afford to miss out on that.
Today you make fun of the South Bay Labor Council, yet on July 20, you made fun of government managers. On July 13, you made fun of lobbyists, but on June 29, you made fun of Team San Jose. Try as you may, you cannot hide your “special” agenda for our Valley.
#4 George,
A couple weeks ago tree roots from a city planted tree clogged up the main sewer pipe from my home. I called the city and within 1 hour a crew had arrived and snaked out the sewer line. These guys worked their rears off in 90+ degrees heat. I guess these are the same guys you tab as “FAT LAZY SLOBS”, with “FAT LAZY OBESE REAR-ENDS” who are “MISERABLE, UNHAPPY PARASITES trying to suck the last drop of blood from the taxpayer”. Every workplace public or private has workers who are slugs. Your point gets lost when you stereotype every city worker as being this or that, and comes off as an ignorant rant, just as any other stereotype does. The city workers that came to my house had a great attitude and were hard working and I actually dropped their boss a note saying so. And no, I do not work for the city plumbing department.
I was sure we’d hear from John Michael by now.
GB#!: When you grow a couple of cojones and post under your real name, you MAY be entitltled to criticize.
O’Conner’s comments, “You can go to Fremont, Cupertino, Los Gatos or many other south bay cities if you want unfettered freedom to run your business,” mark a flaw in his reasoning. Neither should their be “unfettered freedom” in those south bay cities for businesses to bypass labor rights, nor should labor place businesses interested in setting up shop in San Jose in an uncompromising position or be forced to go elsewhere, the downtown area needs a pulse.
What is interesting is this idea of not being able to have labor disputes, this seem a bit autocratic. And while I am very much in favor of the rights of workers, and holding private enterprise accountable, so should South Bay be accountable for their actions if they’ve overstepped in this instance. Without having all the facts of this deal struck by Brownstein, I could not say one way or the other who is right, or who is to blame. What I do know is that Brownstein has pioneered some amazing legislation for the public good. But, my conscience tells me that no one and no organization, even South Bay Labor Council is outside scrutiny.
Santiago#10: That was not a quote from me; it was merely part of John McE’s satire.