New AMPTP adivsor hemoraging union clients
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Have you had enough of the strike crap? Soon my friends, soon. Before we move on to more interesting things, it was reported sometime within the past couple of days that two former Democratic strategists that deep-sixed Senator John Kerry's campaign in 2004 were recently hired by the AMPTP to help them win the PR war against the writers. What wasn't reported until today is that, according to Jane Hamsher writing for Firedog Lake, a rather predictable result in hindsight has come into being.
Namely, Chris Lehane - one of the two advisers - is losing all his union contracts for siding with multi-national corporations against a union in the middle of a strike:
SEIU Local 99 in Los Angeles -- education workers who include teacher's aids, cafeteria workers and crossing guards -- have fired former Clinton spokesman Chris Lehane from a consulting contract in support of the WGA .
"By the end of the week, I believe Chris Lehane will have no union clients because of his work for the AMPTP," says SEIU President Andy Stern, who confirms that all Change to Win Unions are severing ties with Lehane. "His days are numbered in the labor movement."
It goes without saying that this was hardly a difficult choice since billion dollar corporations can pay a lot more for Lehane's services than a union can. On the other hand, Lehane coming to work for the AMPTP has been so publicly addressed that some people seem to think there's little point to him coming to work the shadows since everybody will know immediately than any new tactics on the part of big media will point directly back to his manipulative agenda.
I'd also point out that there's little sympathy for big media to be gained, regardless of what Lehane and company do. The publics opinion of the strike has little to do with when a deal will be made, and who it will benefit more. This entire situation is a matter of when the losses become to great for the companies to bear.
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