Rev. Al To Rev Up Unions — Minus Cop Leaders

As the battle between the mayor and unions heats up, labor is bringing in a heavy hitter: Rev. Al Sharpton. Police union brass has decided not to join this parade.

Sharpton, the nationally-known activist, preacher, and radio talk-show host, is scheduled appear at a union rally on the Green and march on City Hall on Monday afternoon. He’ll be joined there by AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders.

Council 4 AFSCME, the union that represents 1,500 city workers, announced the visit and the rally.

Larry Dorman, a spokesman for Council 4, said that Sharpton and Saunders have spoken together recently in several states. Their message in New Haven will be ​“about stopping the assault on the middle class and stopping continued attacks on middle class workers who happen to have union representation,” Dorman said.

Police Union President Louis Cavaliere, who last month led another anti-layoff downtown march last month, told his members at meeting Wednesday night that the executive board has decided not to participate.

“Al Sharpton is anti-police. Why would I want to be up there and embrace a man who has been against cops his whole career?” Cavaliere said in a conversation Friday.

Sharpton, a one-time presidential candidate, is one of the country’s most visible black political figures. He came to national attention in large part from protests against alleged police misconduct in the 1980s. His most famous crusade involved the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by white cops, a tale that turned out to be fabricated.

A Pitched Battle

Municipal workers are locked in a heated budget battle with the administration, which is looking to stem ballooning pension and health care expenses that threaten to plunge the city into multi-million dollar deficits, according to the mayor.

Last month, the mayor laid off dozens of city workers, including 16 cops. He also unveiled a $475 million budget for the next fiscal year, which includes the privatization of custodial services in New Haven schools.

Those developments have prompted recriminations from labor, as the city negotiates new contracts with 11 unions.

Dorman said Sharpton and Saunders ​“agreed without hesitation” when asked to appear in New Haven.

“Rev. Sharpton is well aware of what’s happening in New Haven in terms of the mayor’s effort to downgrade the middle class,” Dorman said.

The day will begin with prayer breakfast with Rev. Sharpton, local clergy and union members at the Community Baptist Church at 143 Sherman Ave. The afternoon rally will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at the corner of College and Elm Streets. Sharpton and others will speak inside the church, then lead a march around the Green to City Hall, where there will be brief remarks, Dorman said.

Dorman declined to predict how many people will attend the rally. He said he expects ​“a packed church” and ​“packed sidewalks.” Other unions — including the AFL/CIO, UNITE HERE, and SEIU — are supporting the event, he said.

Cop Union Brass Not Coming

To date, the police union has staged the most visible demonstration against city layoffs. Two hundred cops marched to City Hall on Feb. 17 and shut down Church Street, backed by wailing sirens.

The police union discussed the Sharpton march at its meeting Wednesday night. Union President Cavaliere said told members that even though the executive board refuses to participate, individual members should feel free to go.

“Some [African-American cops] were very upset about” Cavaliere’s stance, said one black officer. ​“You can’t pick and choose who you’re going to support. You start pitting people of color against each other.”

Cavaliere said race has nothing to do with his stance.

“Martin Luther King marched for AFSCME before he was killed,” Cavaliere said. ​“I would embrace him if he was [alive today and] here. This is not about a person of color. I don’t like when members turn around say [this is] because he’s a black man — which is the most insulting thing they can say to me personally.”

Sharpton could not be reached for comment.

Dorman said he doesn’t know why the cops aren’t planning to show. ​“I can’t speak to that. We don’t represent them,” he said. ​“I think and I hope some of the union leadership will be there.”