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City tourism official arrested on extortion charges
By adamg on Thu, 05/19/2016 - 8:45am
The US Attorney's office in Boston reports Kenneth Brissette, Boston's director of tourism, has been indicted and arrested for "union-related extortion" involving the Boston Calling music festival on City Hall Plaza and the filming of "Top Chef" episodes in Boston.
According to the US attorney's office:
It is alleged that between July and September 2014, while the company was awaiting the issuance of certain permits and approvals required for its music festival, Brissette, and at least one other city official, repeatedly advised the company that it would need to hire members of Local 11 to work at the music festival. Local 11 had attempted to obtain work from the company since March 2013. The company told Brissette that it had already entered into a contract with a non-union company and hired all of its labor. Nevertheless, Brissette allegedly insisted that half of the company’s labor force consist of union members, although he ultimately agreed that eight members of Local 11 would suffice. As a result of Brissette’s demands three days before the music festival the company entered into a contract with Local 11 for eight additional laborers and one foreman. Shortly thereafter, the City of Boston issued the necessary permits.
In closely related activity in the summer of 2014, Brissette was involved in pressuring a non-union production company filming a reality television show in Boston to hire union workers. When the Chief of Operations for the City of Boston and the Director of the Massachusetts State Film Office learned that Brissette had been pressuring a non-union film company to hire union workers, they separately told Brissette that it was not legal to withhold city permits based on a company’s union or non-union status and could not discriminate on the basis of whether or not a company was union or non-union.
Brisssette could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Five Teamsters members were arrested last year on charges they tried to extort jobs out of "Top Chef" producers and, when they didn't get them, managed to force filming out of Boston and then harassed crew members at a Milton restaurant.
In the indictment against the Teamsters, prosecutors detailed phone calls Brissette allegedly made to both the Omni Parker House and Menton, a Barbara Lynch restaurant on Congress Street on June 9, 2014:
A representative from the City of Boston called the Omni Parker Hotel to inform it that Local 25 was planning to picket Company A's filming at the Omni Parker House on June 10, 2014. The city of Boston representative made similar calls to Menton.
As a result, the hotel told Top Chef not to bother showing up, and producers decided to film an episode in Milton instead.
Mayor Walsh hired Brissette in 2014 to fill the newly created job of director of tourism, sports and entertainment to " to bring major athletic and cultural events, conventions and conferences to Boston, and aggressively market the City nationally and internationally."
After news broke of the Teamster indictments, Walsh hired a former prosecutor in the Whitey Bulger case to investigate any inappropriate Teamster/City Hall connections.
The mayor's office reacted:
The Mayor asked Attorney Brian Kelly to review the city's interactions with Top Chef last year and he produced a report that concluded no city employee was involved in any illegal activities. Attorney Kelly has also been reviewing Boston Calling and he is conducting a comprehensive review of the Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment to ensure that the proper policies and procedures are in place.
Ken Brissette is currently on paid administrative leave.
Mayor Walsh himself said, in a statement:
I am deeply concerned about today's news. Everyone who knows Ken knows him to be a good and hardworking person. We will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney's Office to get to the bottom of this. Everyone in my administration should know that there is only one way to do things and that is the right way.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
With fingers crossed and eyes closed tight.
Please let them tie this to Marty.
Please let them tie this to Marty.
Please let them tie this to Marty.
Please let them tie this to Marty.
Please let them tie this to Marty.
his guy
It's his guy. Leadership starts at the top.
Well now we know why Boston
Well now we know why Boston Calling has sucked since its inaugural year. Apparently the $ that should've gone to recruit good bands went to overpriced union workers.
...since then Boston Calling has been a 3rd-tier music festival.
Yeah, this year...
...in particular is horrendous. You want HOW MUCH for tickets to see 2nd rate bands (or at least bands I would see at Great Scott instead, for $8) in a space that used to be reserved for FREE concerts and which, if I stand outside the gates (or lucky enough to get on a rooftop), I can enjoy just as much as if I pay your outlandish prices?
Whats it like, $75 a day now? Oooooh SIA is playing! Wooooooowwww.
$75 a day? You wish!
$75 a day? You wish! Believe it or not, they now want $85/day in advance or (if like last fall) $95/day on-site for these terrible lineups. Well said that these bands are normally $10 at Great Scott...all but like two bands couldn't even sell-out House of Blues on their own.
We missed a great opportunity..
...in the last mayoral election.
We could have elected someone to that was going to take Boston to the next level. Instead we elected a townie hack.
Hopefully we learn from this.
For the record, I didn't vote for Marty.
this
This is why I didn't vote for Marty. And sure, at the time, it was a bit of paranoia about his cozy union ties, but something about it made me uneasy (and I'm not anti-union, I just saw the conflict of interest). I didn't care for some of his campaign's tactics during the campaign; little things like emblazoning "DEMOCRAT" on signs in certain neighborhoods, in a nonpartisan race, against someone who was also a Democrat. It just smacked of aiming at low-information types who vote the ticket. However, I'm kind of saddened that my worst-case reasons for not voting for the guy seem to be bubbling to the top.
That said, I'm looking forward to voting against the guy once again in 2017.
Who
Would have taken Boston to the next level? Jackson? Yancey? I'm sure they could, assuming "next level" means Baltimore or Fergustan.
strawman
Fortunately other scenarios aren't your straw man.
Mahty
Of course he's concerned... I have a feeling Marty knows they are coming for him next.
And hard working? Hard working for the union I guess..
are we?
Are we really surprised?
An official forcing a group to hire union labor? In Boston? You don't say...
Not surprised at all.
Not necessarily business as usual
An excerpt from the indictment:
4. Company A was a company that produced a twice-yearly music festival in Boston. In order to stage its music festivals. Company A was required to apply for and receive permits from the City of Boston for each festival.
5. In connection with these music festivals, beginning in March 2013, lATSE Local 11 attempted to obtain work for its union members from Company A. Company A was not a signatory to any collective bargaining agreement with Local 11. Company A repeatedly explained to a Local 11 representative that it had entered into a contract with a non-union company ~ that is, a company that did not employ labor union members ~ to perform the work at its music festivals and did not need any additional help. As a result, Company A held music festivals on several occasions on Boston City Hall Plaza without hiring union members and without labor disturbance or pressure from officials from the City of Boston.
6. In January 2014, the administration of the City of Boston changed.
Feds like to climb the ladder and go to the top
Marty Walsh should be looking over his shoulder if he ordered Kenneth Brissette to do what he did, which seems logical with Walsh's union history. The feds always like to climb the ladder. If Brissette wants to avoid the potential 20 years in prison and decides to talk, watch out!
But doesn't a guy like that
But doesn't a guy like that make those calls without being asked to? Isn't that why you even _have_ a Ken Brissette? In that way, hasn't Mahty covered his ass? If he never asked KB to make the calls, then I would think he's shielded by plausible deniability. The fact that the command was implicit in the hiring is why you make that hire. I don't think Walsh isn't indictable here, and I'm not a supporter, but I'm not sure that he's dumb enough to make that ask out in the open.
Welcome to IHOP, today's special is "Pancake a la Brissette"
This guy is going to flip on Mahhty before the feds finish Mirandizing him.
Deval holdovers like Brissette aren't exactly the kind of neighborhood stand up guys he needs in a situation like this.
Is anyone really surprised?
Marty loves everything that gets his friends and cronies some sweet, sweet grifting opportunities.
How self-defeating
I'm a fan of the idea of unions, and of some of what I see in a resurgent grass-roots labor movement...and I like the idea that cities promote the use of union labor as a part of promoting living-wage jobs. But this is stupid and defeats the purpose. This is the act of unimaginative time-servers who probably never had a good grasp on the valid reason behind a union in the first place -- that's the least damning thing I can think of to say about them. They're somewhere along the spectrum between that and hopelessly, cynically corrupt, and the "keep the insiders inside" thug tactics of the modern Democratic Party pretty much ensures that they'll never be thrown out.
Well said
There is a valid place for unions, but they have to keep their house in order if they expect the public to support them.
lol @ thug tactics
(My dog heard your whistle.)
odd situation
I find it kind of sad/amusing that for so many union-hating/democratic party-hating/GOP-loving types Carmen Ortiz was anathema to them. A woman, a minority, and worse, an Obama-appointee, and yet she's been going hard as a somethingorother on the local Democratic Party -- between nipping at DeLeo's ankles with the Probation Dept and now the nasty union-related hackery at City Hall... she really should be the darling of Herald-reading types.
I find it sad/amusing that
I find it sad/amusing that you think people that lean republican have a problem with women, minorities or Carmen Ortiz (I'll give you the Obama appointee since some go out of their mind with anything Obama says or does due to the hyper partisan times we're in.)
I know many, many republicans that are just as socially liberal as chest thumping democrats. I have never met anyone that has had an issue with women in politics, business or in any decision making job. Granted, I am sure there are people out there, but to me they are very much the minority.
But, what she is doing here is a good thing, a very good thing. This type of corruption has been going on for too long and does nothing to help union causes and just adds to the list of reasons why unions are relics of the past.
er...
coughs...points to the current Republican candidate for President....
but yes, there are Republicans that are females, that like Latinos and many that are socially liberal. Hillary Clinton for example...
Please
Trump is as much a Republican as Obama is.
Excuse me? When, exactly, did
Excuse me? When, exactly, did Obama get the Republican nomination for President?
You may not like it, but Trump is now the face, heart and soul of the Republican party. Suck it up.
Excuse me?
Calling yourself a Republican doesn't make you a republican. Just as calling himself a Democrat doesn't make Bernie Sanders a true Democrat.
Calling yourself a Republican
7.5 million Republican voters disagree with you.
Do they?
How do you know? Maybe they just held their nose and voted for the person they thought might have a chance of keeping Hillary out of the White House? Maybe they were Democrats voting Republican to get the worst possible candidate nominated to help Hillary's chances? You have no idea.
You are wrong
I have a pretty good idea.
But, hey, why not? Maybe it was voter fraud! Maybe it was Martians! Maybe it's all a plot by the librul media!
Both equally smart...
Ah, yes, the foundation of a well informed electorate - so we either have
A - this many people are actually ignorant bigots who voted for Donnie T
B - people don't actually give a fuck who they vote for, but just vote against someone else
C - several million democrats swapped to R to vote for Trump to help Clinton?
Hint, it's probably A, but all choices mean you should not be voting in the first place. If more people voted for who they actually wanted in office, we wouldn't be left with voting for the shittier of 2 already shitty choices.
And
And Hillary's as much a Democrat as...oh wait, wasn't supposed to say that, was I?
I find it sad/amusing that
Seriously, just go back to sleep. Where have you been the last 50 years?
Awake!
Awake!
You mean to tell me there are NO women or minorities in the republican party or in position in the republican party? There are no women or minority republican politicians?
I know it doesn't follow your line of thinking but you are wrong, clearly.
For some people it is easier to paint with a broad brush, I guess.
Heavens! Where would anyone get THAT idea?!? /s
Maybe if repugnant s*it like this wasnt happening TODAY people wouldnt think you're deluded.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/05/19/his-beli...
Of course not ALL Republicans think that way, but it is far more prevalent and openly accepted than you're willing to admit.
Of course that is wrong!
Of course that is wrong! There are idiots in all corners! What do you think about Gov. Rendell's comment about women yesterday?
I guess democrats think American women are ugly? Is that what you take from his comments? I would guess not, but I also will assume if it were a republican that said that, the whole party would be to blame.
Both sides suck and I am so tired of constantly hearing about only one. I will admit it is to be more prevalent here in MA where democrat shit don't stink.
No "of course" about it
And of course your fellow Republicans are spraining their ankles in their hurry to denounce such behavior. And of course you're not being at all disingenuous.
Google "false equivalences" and get in touch with reality. Democrats are busy cleaning house all over the country, and if you don't know that, it's just because you haven't been paying attention (or have been sucking down corporate media lies). Honestly, you're like a child, whining, "But THEY do it too!" The Republican Party has inoculated a culture of bigotry and small-minded jingoism for decades now, and what we're seeing now is the predictable result. You've got your own toxic waste to clean up, so get to it before you start calling out anyone else on their mess.
I will disagree with you.
I will disagree with you. They both suck and most people are realizing it (notice the Sanders and Trump support). (Can't wait for the PA convention after Nevada - should be interesting.)
FWIW: I have never been a registered republican. I vote both parties and think for myself.
"And of course your fellow Republicans are spraining their ankles in their hurry to denounce such behavior. " You mean the dems would've given him a free pass? No, of course not but they wouldn't appreciate him being made out to be the poster boy for the party either.
You and I will disagree on most things - that's OK. You're not going to change my mind and you are entitled to your own opinions (that's what they are).
Enjoy your day.
I have never been a
Says every Republican who's embarrassed to admit it in public.
Or says someone being honest.
Or says someone being honest.
It's refreshing when someone doesn't feel the need to vote party lines.
Bill O"reilly said the same thing
"I have never been a registered republican."
Bill O'Reilly claimed the same thing and Scott Brown said he voted with both sides evenly. Plus what you register as is irrelevant, especially in states like MA where you can register independent and vote in other parties primaries, why pick one, no advantage.
You mean to tell me there are
Did I say that?
The Republican Party makes it easy. They provide the brush. In case you missed it, the Republican candidate who calls Mexicans rapists and women bimbos has been unstoppable since last July. If you don't consider that a "problem" for the Republican party, that's your prerogative.
Do you have a link to that
Do you have a link to that exact quote that he called all Mexicans rapists?
I'm not snarky, but curious. I've heard much about it but so far it's hearsay or innuendo.
I thought it was wrong to paint groups of people with broad brushes in 2016. Or, is it OK to do to some people and not others? I guess I need an updated set of rules.
Jesus H. Christ in a Sidecar
It was only the biggest news story of last summer. Like I said, go back to sleep. You're obviously unequipped to comment on any current events.
Guess I was sleeping.
It was an asinine comment, but what Trump said was Mexico was sending criminals to the US via illegal immigration. Murderers, rapists, etc. He didn't say all Mexicans were rapists. Not quite as flashy as a headline, but still a foolish comment.
^This I agree with.
^This I agree with.
Like I've said I've heard this claim many times but no one sends a link.
Exact quote
OK, not all Mexicans, but most. I'm not convinced that distinction is much better.
Thank you. :) I agree that
Thank you. :) I agree that it is an asinine thing to say.
News stories? Links?
News stories? Links?
Typical Patricia selective edit
Ah yes, a typical Patricia selective edit, the addition of the word "all". Changes the meaning just a little bit, doesn't it?
Honesty, Patricia. It's hard but you can do it.
all definitely changes the
all definitely changes the meaning! Glad you agree!
I guess there's no citation to back up the claim.
There is a YUGGE difference if someone claims all Mexicans are rapist, vs. what was actually said.
If you can't tell the difference, then there's nothing left to say.
You're the only one who used
You're the only one who used the word "all". Nobody is obliged to defend themselves against claims that they didn't make.
Logic
He didn't hold up the copy of the Mexico phone book, list every name one by one, 24 hours a day for weeks, and call each individual a rapist. Therefore he is not at all racist. QED
Learn your express history, man
The Republican party had Lincoln and, Southern Democrats like Robert "KKK" Byrd were bad in the 60s, and what the hell other cockamamie chapters of your so-called history or current events books are using to sully what should be a very short and to-the-point history of the friendly welcoming Republican Party?
Punctuation is your friend, pal.
.
Some more GOP feel good moments
Really, the GOP has nothing to do with racism, sexism, jismism and all the rest...I mean just look at these profiles in courage today!
Chaos in House after GOP votes down LGBT measure
Good article, thanks for the
Good article, thanks for the link.
"And he said, 'Get back on your own side of the aisle.' And I said to him, 'What side of the aisle am I supposed to stand on to support equality?' "
But the GOP doesn't have a problem with women or minorities... They love them just fine, as long as they know their place and don't get all uppity.
Carmen Ortiz should have been fired years ago
for harassing Aaron Swartz so much that he committed suicide.
What the hell
...are you talking about?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz
Comments from the mayor's office
Added them to the bottom of the original post.
Now how about that GE deal?
.
I am shocked
Shocked to find that union related extortion is going on in here.
Your cut, sir
Er, I mean, your campaign contributions, sir
CTRL+F "world class city"
CTRL+F "world class city"
Nope, I'm the first one?
the city only hires union cops and firefighters, whats the diff?
The city does this with cops and firefighters too. How many cops and firefighters in the city are non-union? Imagine if we had charter police and charter firefighters, they would be accountable for their actions and lower than the exorbitant salaries they make. Cops and firefighters who are poor performers, much less the ones that break the law, could be quickly terminated. They could use metrics like they use on teachers, the ones whose neighborhoods perform worse (increased crime under their watch instead of decreased) would be fired and replaced. Lower expense for the taxpayer and better results, win win.
How about the Boston Fire
How about the Boston Fire "Fire watch" that was patrolling the brick plaza for fire hazards during the concerts?
How about it?
Really, there were no stages, no electrical wiring that could spark, no banners that could catch fire, nothing but 100% pure brick?
Yeah hot stage lights
Electrics running under cable ramps all over the place. Vendors cooking. Fuel for generators probably stored somewhere.
And don't forget all the ingress and egress choke points.
Crowds need to be monitored as well
Of course BFD should be there.
Mayor Menino
Say what you will about Tom Menino - he had his stuff under control(wraps) unlike this wet-blanket of a mayor!
Tom Menino was a hack.
Marty Walsh is a hack. The difference? Menino was a shrewd and deft hack. Walsh is a clumsy oaf of a hack. This is Boston; we demand a higher grade of hack.
So, about that Kelly report
If the Feds say Brissette called the Omni and Menton and "alerted them" to the fact that the union would picket (what the fuck was he doing that for? Where the whole permit thing could believably come down from him, this picket thing is the union's job, not the city's so why would he be dumb enough to make a call and stick his face in that? Moron.), then why does Brian Kelly say the "city did nothing wrong" when it came to Top Chef?
Is Brian Kelly incompetent? Just another Walsh hack covering for another Walsh hack? Lied to by the Walsh administration as to what took place on that call but the Feds investigated better from the hotel's side of it?
Why the conflicting report? Does *that* come back to Walsh too?
Not necessarily related...
but the Boston Herald is reporting more potential difficulties in City Hall.
A top campaign adviser for Mayor Martin J. Walsh — who lobbied him to support the Boston Grand Prix — confirmed to the Herald he was a part owner of the race, while new questions are emerging about what happened to the proceeds from ticket sales of the canceled event.
Chris Keohan, a key architect of Walsh’s 2013 election win, said he got stock in the Grand Prix of Boston, the local promotion group running the now-defunct street race that Walsh championed for more than a year.
Keohan’s company CK Strategies, which includes another former Walsh aide, Kathryn Norton, was paid a monthly fee by the promoters, but it was reduced in exchange for Keohan getting “sweat equity” — or ownership stock, an arrangement that could have paid off big if the race had been a success.
A Walsh spokeswoman said last night “he was not aware” of Keohan’s ownership interest.
it's starting......
The snowball.....
Bye bye, baby, bye bye!
Meanwhile, all those who
Meanwhile, all those who championed the Olympic bid got cushy jobs at the BRA.
Totally above board, but still stinks.
BRISETTE
CONNOLLY IS DELIGHTED
So in the event that Marty has to go...
...do we get Michelle Wu?
I could live with that.
Agreed
Look, we've tried the born and bred Bostonians and now it's time for a carpetbagger to run this place. Carpetbaggers unite! It's time for a woman mayor from Chicago - take your pick.
Meanwhile...
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_politics/2016/05/top_adviser_to_m...
Marty's not going anywhere
You don't get to be where he is, from the path he took to get there, and go down for something like this. Especially in Boston.
Water off a duck's ass.
Spoken as an observer, not a fan.
Apply Rules Evenly
Why do some city workers get paid administrative leave when they're indicted and others get unpaid leave? Sexual discrimination, maybe?
It's pretty even
Unless a manager is screwing up, you put an employee on paid leave if they need to be removed from their duties right away. Then, you have an investigation, gather evidence, hold a hearing, then fire them.
Being the target of a criminal investigation complicates things, since the evidence is tied up in the courts.
Of course, if a manager puts a city worker on unpaid leave, any union rep or labor lawyer could sue the city for wages and win easily.
what kind of threat is picketing?
look, I understand that intimidating someone by yell foul things at them is crime, and slashing tires is a crime. These things happened and the people that did that are criminals.
But to tell someone that you are going to hold up sign telling everyone that Top Chef, Menton and the Omni are part of the greedy 1%, that believes that workers have no right to a better share of the profits that they create is not a criminal threat.
If workers were treated fairly, then there would be no need for unions. I want the city to hire more union workers. I voted for Marty Walsh because of this. Why is it a crime? I am sick and tired of stupid lemmings that worship at the alter of "job creators" as if it is a privilege to work 40 hours a week.
What is a crime?
Withhold city permits until someone hires union workers.
why is that a crime?
why is that a crime?
If you have to ask that question
You won't understand the answer.
Because the city process is
Because the city process is open for everyone, whether you believe in unions or not. There is no constitutional guarantee that says unions need to be employed, but there is a constitutional guarantee to open and fair access to all. Sorry if that disrupts your narrative.
it doesn't Matty. But I
it doesn't Matty. But I think we need unions here. I think that if you believe that unions prevent open access then you are drinking the 1% kool aide. if the access is open and fair, then why wouldn't some of the jobs go to union members? Does "right to work" defend people from paying a union dues or should it be called "right to profit"?
You're some kind of idiot.
You're some kind of idiot. This issue is specifically only about denying open access to city services based on someone's notion that you must use union work in order to do so. I'm not drinking anyone's kool-aid and you can go fuck yourself with that kind of bullshit.
It wasn't the union that
It wasn't the union that prevented anything here, it was a hack who works to serve the people. While he may believe that union workers should be used, his job is approve permits for applicants that follow the rules. If he doesn't like it, he can find another job where he doesn't have to approve permits for non-union employers.
I'm not certain how access wasn't open and fair, but I would think that the jobs went to people that the companies thought to be the best for the job.
It's even worse than that
The "Minister of Fun" as he likes to refer to himself, doesn't have any permitting authority. He was actively impeding the release of permits by other city agencies until such time that his demands were met.
the 1% kool aid
You know there are non-1%'ers who aren't union. Should they not be have access to jobs in this City because the Mayor and his hacks are in the back pocket of the unions?
I agree. (Did you reply to
I agree. (Did you reply to the wrong post?)
Sorry
that was for Cinnagirl
from what it says here,
from what it says here, during the 3 previous years of the music festival they hired zero union workers. The "hack" asks them to hire 11 and they hire 8. How is hiring zero union workers open and equal access? It seems that the non-union workers have a better chance than union workers. Especially since everyone is willing to believe that union workers are lazy and overpaid. But Massachusetts is a prevailing wage state. That means that many of the jobs we are arguing about, pay wages based on the union contract whether or not they are in the union. I think that automatically assuming that hiring union workers is unfair to everyone is misguided. Some people in unions have done bad things, but not all of them. I think something is wrong here, if people in unions are automatically evil.
take breathe Matty and see if you can express yourself without cursing.
Why is a government official
Asking them to hire anyone? What gives him the right to withhold permits until he gets the people he wants hired?
was it certain people, or
was it certain people, or union workers?
I can't tell if you're being
I can't tell if you're being intentionally intellectually dishonest, or if you are woefully ignorant of what the extortion charge is about. In either case it will be obvious to most readers that you haven't got a clue.
What I am saying it that it
What I am saying it that it seems to be generally accepted that unions are bad. And that if zero union workers are hired that is perfectly fair.
Literally no one in this
Literally no one in this thread has said unions are bad. Extorting a business for permits is bad. If zero union workers are hired for a thing, thems the breaks. It is not legal to mandate that union workers be hired for a thing, as a gating factor for city approval, official or implicit. Why is that so hard to understand?
he was indicted for his actions in Boston Calling
The reason this company hires zero union workers is because they charge people $10 just to fill out the application. And they charge them $185 deposit for their admission to the event. I can't find anywhere if or how much these people are paid.
That's called extortion.
That's called extortion.
@cinnimngrl- the crime:
So, it's not legal, according to city and state officials, to withhold a city permit based on union vs non-union.
According to the indictment, that's what Marty's guy did. Thus, indictment.
But why aren't all film
But why aren't all film company employees allowed to unionize? And I honestly don't think it should be illegal. Did he ask for all the employees to be union, or just some? why is it ok to exclude union workers?
Because the company
hosting the festival had a labor company hired for the festival and they were being forced to take work away from that company and give it to union workers in order to gain permits. That's textbook extortion
I think that you should look into this company.
The reason they don't "need" union workers is that they are not paying most of the people that work there. You have to pay $10 to just apply for a position. You also have to give them $185 deposit against your festival admission. They will hold the $185 for 7 days after the festival to determine if the person's work was satisfactory. If anyone needs a union, its the people that "staff" boston calling. just google "boston calling volunteer 2016"
Who fucking cares?
That has NOTHING to do with what Brissette is alleged to have done. If that company wants to run itself as a slave-driving shit heap, then that's their business. As long as whatever they do doesn't violate labor laws, then they're free to treat their employees like shit. If we need better labor laws, that's an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ARGUMENT. But city officials don't get to change labor laws by telling the company that they have to split the work with other companies that have union labor or hire union members at union wages or else they don't get to work in the city. That's not how the law works. That's extortion.
So, your argument that this company is scum doesn't matter one iota to what Brissette is alleged to have done.
Not that you care. You have an axe to grind and are either ignoring what multiple people have now told you or are too stupid to understand what's being said to you. You're either simple or a troll..or a simple troll.
What are you scared of?
"slave driving shit heaps" are Y unions were invented.
The fact that I have an opinion that can't be intimidated away by repeating the same thing over and over in ALL CAPS and calling me names does not make me a troll.
I think that this situation is driven by an anti-Union bias that serves greedy companies. I guess that is a pretty lonely opinion. I don't think that sentiment was just created by the stupid thugs that decided to promote the union by committing crimes. I think it has to do with the fact that we started just worrying about our jobs and our contracts instead of all working people.
You are wrong
It's a lonely opinion because it's just wrong on its face. This isn't anti-union bias. It's corrupt political officials. No matter how you attempt to spin it, you are constantly running into the fact that nobody hates unions here. There's no anti-union bias. None. The greedy corporations didn't sue the city. They even played along with this guy. The FEDS are investigating. The Feds aren't anti-union. So, the only reason you think there's "anti-union bias" is because it's the only way to fit your story that unions are under attack in this situation. While unions are under attack by shitty companies, that's not this situation.
Unions aren't going to be the solution by allowing politicians to strong-arm them into jobs illegally.