January 21, 2016
By Joe Maniscalco
New York, NY – The deal diffusing the long standoff between the de Blasio administration and horse carriage drivers has not come without controversy — but on this Sunday’s edition of the LaborPress Radio Show/Podcast on WWRL 1600 am, Teamsters Local 553 Secretary-Treasurer Demos Demopoulos says that the developing pact is meant to save the industry from extinction. We also find out if the Michigan Governor Rick Synder really is in danger of being arrested in connection with the Flint water scandal.
Lots of questions remain in the wake of this week’s agreement keeping New York City’s horse carriage industry on the road. Pedicab drivers aren’t happy, owners of the city’s existing stables aren’t pleased, and the animal rights groups driving Mayor de Blasio to stamp out the trade are vowing to keep up the pressure.
Still, Demopoulos tells LaborPress that the stakes could not have been higher in trying to reach some sort of agreement.
“Our goal always was to protect this industry,” Demopoulos says. “They’ve been under attack for many, many years — particularly when the de Blasio administration took over. We’re all familiar with [the mayor's] statements that he was looking to do away with the industry on ‘Day 1’ of his administration.”
Despite the acrimony that remains, that crusade has apparently been abandoned, and new stables will be established in Central Park at some point. Demopoulos addresses those issues as well.
New York City’s horse carriage industry may be in crisis, but at least our four-legged friends are guaranteed the best drinking water in the country. The same cannot be said of the children of Flint, Michigan who have been subjected to lead-poisoned water ever since the non-elected emergency manger there decided it would be a good idea to reroute the city’s water supply from the polluted Flint River.
WIN National Correspondent Doug Cunningham returns to the LaborPress Radio Show/Podcast with an insider’s look at what’s going on in Flint, and why two separate investigations into the mess could actually lead to Governor Rick Snyder ending up in handcuffs — as filmmaker and worker activist Michael Moore has advocated.
Doug also talks about why the nation’s hardworking and dedicated nurses love presidential contender Bernie Sanders’ health plan so much. Tune into all of this and even more Sunday at Noon on WWRL 1600 AM. And if you miss the show, stream it at www.lainvasora1600.com
