Filthy lucre (Image source: 401(K) 2012 via Flickr).
Could 250 grand stand in the way of an end to the ConEd lockout?
Last night the Wall Street Journal’s Jacob Gershman and Anjali Athavaley reported that Consolidated Edison has gifted $250,000 to The Committee To Save New York, a pro-Governor Andrew Cuomo lobbying group that’s come under recent scrutiny regarding a $2 million donation it received from gambling interests.
The gaming industry’s money infusion occurred just before the governor had come out in favor of Las Vegas-style casinos in New York State. The question now is whether the cash from ConEd will influence Cuomo’s actions – and possibly dissuade him from putting more pressure on the electric utility to end its lock out of 8,500 union employees.
The workers were dismissed by ConEd on July 1, after contract negotiations broke down between company management and Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America.
City Councilman Vincent Gentile, as well as Council Speaker Christine Quinn have recently come out in favor of leaning on ConEd to resume talks with union officials.
[H/T to David Freedlander from Politicker]