Chafee: Leave Union Benefits Alone By Raising Taxes

“THE OPPOSITE OF RIGHT PART V”

CHAFEE’S NEW WAY FORWARD – GENERAL ASSEMBLY VERSION:

At the Rhode Island House Finance Committee yesterday, Gubernatorial Candidate Chafee made it clear once again he is no champion of the property taxpayer but merely a politician who will grovel for the support of the public sector union bosses. He has officially broken his first promise of his new gubernatorial campaign, which was “to be a champion of the property taxpayer” and “a partner with our mayors and town managers … to repeal many of the costly state mandates on cities and towns.” Instead of siding with mayors and town managers in favor of reducing benefits through pension reform (i.e. a minimum retirement age) and a 25% co-share for health care premiums for public sector employees, he “urged” the House Finance Committee “to leave benefits alone” for public sector union employees (ProJo 1/13/10).

Without a doubt, Mr. Chafee does not want his mayoral legacy in Warwick of giving away the store to public sector union members to be tampered with in anyway. He is proud of signing union contracts that allows employees to retire with no minimum retirement age after only 20 years of work. (ProJo 7/29/96). He believes it was his “biggest achievement” as mayor to give public employees big raises while paying no co-share of their health care premium. (ProJo 5/3/94, 10/10/2000) He thinks it is “awesome” to give part time crossing guards “full benefits.” (ProJo 9/3/93) No doubt the public sector unions thought these kinds of these deals were “awesome” too. This is why “local unions were endorsing Lincoln Chafee’s 1998 City Hall reelection bid” and letters were being sent out to “municipal union members on Chafee’s behalf” as a “payoff for the years” Chafee “spent nurturing labor friendships in the state’s second-largest city.” (ProJo 10/10/2000). This is also why, in a prior mayoral campaign, after “Chafee helped the union with a good contract,” the American Federation of Teachers asked other unions to have “the favor be returned” by supporting Chafee. (ProJo 1/6/95).

Rhode Island Republican Party Chair Giovanni Cicione commented: “Mr. Chafee’s old three step plan has not changed one bit – give the public sector unions what they want, get the unions to support your campaign; raise taxes to pay for those sweetheart deals.”

“Mr. Chafee may not have any coherent plans to cut spending, but taxpayers can be certain he will not to cut the generous benefits of public employees – he seems to be going out of his way to protect these outrageous union benefits by raising taxes on groceries and medicine,” concluded Cicione.

Press Release: Rhode Island Republican Party