Photo by Ted Fitzgerald
AFL-CIO president Robert J. Haynes
Embattled AFL-CIO big to step down from top job By Boston Herald's Hillary Chabot
A defiant AFL-CIO president Robert J. Haynes — who came under fire for his $72,000 salary as a Blue Cross Blue Shield director as well as the board’s controversial $11 million payout to a former CEO — told the Herald yesterday he’s stepping down from his post in October the same way he came in nearly 13 years ago: fighting for workers.
“I’ve spent my entire career fighting for working people,” said Haynes, 61, who accused the media of unfairness during the legislative push to curtail bargaining rights over municipal health insurance.
“The criticism of me is fine, it’s just not good for the labor movement,” Haynes added. “Most of the people understand I work for them and I fight for them every day of the week.”
Haynes said he’s leaving because, “It’s time for me to move on. It’s time for a new generation.”
The longest-serving head of the 400,000-member state federation, Haynes brushed off suggestions that his departure was prompted by his failure to block legislative leaders from cutting municipal unions out of health-care negotiations. Measures passed by the House and Senate will let city and town leaders set insurance co-payments without consulting with their workers.
“I’m not leaving because of any alleged loss in the Legislature. We didn’t lose anything yet,” said Haynes, adding that he started thinking about stepping down two years ago. “To think anyone in the State House would run me out of town is foolhardy and ludicrous.”
Haynes said the sluggish economy has stoked an “anti-union fervor” and acknowledged “it’s pretty unusual” for Bay State Democrats to pass bills curtailing union rights. He said he’s still working with House and Senate lawmakers to hammer out compromise legislation.
Haynes also dismissed the recent outcry over his Blue Cross board pay and the panel’s unanimous vote approving former CEO Cleve Killingsworth’s $11 million golden parachute.
“As the president, you take some lumps once in a while. I get that,” said Haynes, adding that the AFL-CIO executive board had known about his salary for the past 20 years and had no problem with it.
Responding to public outrage over the payouts, Attorney General Martha Coakley pressed Blue Cross to suspend its board members’ salaries and has since filed a bill barring public charities from paying directors.
Haynes says he is backing Tim Sullivan of the Quincy-based OPEIU Local 6 as the state federation’s next president.
Commentary
Fighting for the working man my ass.Fighting for two people Haynes you and yourself end of story
No comments:
Post a Comment