Mass outrage: Lawmakers vote to strip unions of certain bargaining rights
Hundreds of angry union members and their leaders converged on the State House this morning after a surprise vote by lawmakers last night that took away some of their collective bargaining power.
"Generally pissed" was how one firefighter described the mood while sitting outside a State House entrance.
Union members gathered waiting for House members to enter the chamber to start today’s session.
The unions planned to come to the State House today anyway to talk to lawmakers about the vote, which they thought would take place today.
However, the game changed last night.
"We were coming to them to talk Democrat to Democrat," said Patrick Rose, secretary of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association. "This isn’t Wisconsin … we’re not standing on the State House steps, but we might."
