Yahoo News seems to be running an incredible story about a New Jersey town that turned away volunteer workers, who were trying to help get power back online, because...wait for it... they weren't in a union.
http://news.yahoo.com/...
Amazing, until you realise the story is ACTUALLY from the "The Daily Caller" which was
[f]ounded by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, former adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney
And if you go to the ACTUAL daily caller article, things do look very bad!
This was enough to get "Fox Business News" [snort] involved.
From the original article:
Decatur Utilities in Decatur, Ala. told Huntsville’s WAFF-TV Thursday evening that its crews were denied the opportunity to work in Seaside Heights, N.J. because they’re not affiliated with a union. Some of those workers, the company said, headed home. Others remained at a staging area in Roanoke, Va.
And on Friday the company doubled down, with general manager Ray Hardin telling Fox Business Network’s Stuart Varney that “we were presented with documents from IBEW that required our folks to affiliate with the union. And [that's] something that we could not agree to. And it was our understanding, and still is, that that was a requirement of working in that area.”
http://dailycaller.com/...
But...
When you click through to the original story...
http://www.waff.com/...
The general manager of Decatur Utilities, Ray Hardin told Fox Business they were presented documents from the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers at a staging area in Virginia. The documents stated they had to affiliate with a union to work, which the crews could not agree to.
Hardin said the crews were not turned away but were made to believe that affiliating with the union was a requirement to work.
"It was and remains our understanding that agreeing to those requirements was a condition of being allowed to work in those areas," said Hardin.
OK, so they WEREN'T turned away, the union wanted them to sign a contract?
No.
"At this stage, it is not clear who is alleged to have turned the crew away and the company that employs the affected workers has denied the claim. IBEW local leaders in New Jersey have reiterated what has been the long standing record of our union –in times of crisis all help is welcome and we pull together with everyone to meet the needs of the public. We have communicated this to the office of New Jersey Governor Christie as well," said IBEW President Ed Hill.
Huh?
So they weren't turned away? The union says they were happy to have them work... maybe that's not true?
Well...
We've seen a number of news reports about electric line crews that are being turned away in the state of New Jersey, on the grounds that the crews are non-union.
Rest assured, our Alabama Power crews have not been turned away from anywhere. Our employees are proudly representing us in several states that have been affected, and have received a warm reception everywhere they've been.
http://alabamapowernews.com/...
Looks like Tucker Carlson and Fox have AGAIN been caught spredding anti-union propaganda... politicising a natural disaster? You betcha'!