When a pro-teacher, pro-pubic school, pro-union candidate for governor in one state is blocked from speaking to AFL-CIO delegates… by Jonathan Pelto
A final word about the AFL-CIO’s decision to block my speech to delegates
By Jonathan Pelto
“We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” – President John F. Kennedy
Yesterday the delegates to the 2014 AFL-CIO political endorsing convention heard from Republican Tom Foley and Democrat Dannel “Dan” Malloy.
In response to a question about why the leadership of the AFL-CIO decided to prevent Jonathan Pelto, the gubernatorial candidate for the Education and Democracy Party, from addressing the delegates who are charged with endorsing candidates in this year’s election, the head of the AFL-CIO said,
“The reality is I don’t like that we have a two party system. I wish it was different. But the playing field is what it is. The fact is, it’s going to be a major party that wins. Until that changes, we have some change in that electorate, then I am perfectly comfortable with how we decided to invite the candidates to come to this convention.,” – Lori Pelletier
So it came to pass that Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy went unchallenged when he told the delegates;
“I stand with labor, I always have, I always will. It goes back to who I am and what I am,” – Governor Malloy
Banned from speaking at the AFL-CIO convention, I was unable to point out the following…
- Malloy is the only Democratic Governor in the nation to have introduced legislation eliminating teacher tenure and repealing collective bargaining for teachers working in schools “turnaround schools.” While we rightfully fight to prevent a so-called
