"Mallahan said he didn't have anything to do with the anti-union activity at T-Mobile," says John Masterjohn of Laborers' Local 1239.
This was a common theme in my conversations with local union leaders about why they're supporting Joe Mallahan, who they attacked only weeks ago for a) not having enough political experience and b) working as a vice-president at T-Mobile, a company that has been condemned by American unions and the German union of T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom. (Read their report on T-Mobile USA here.)
"Look, because you're a vice president doesn't mean you're the CEO—you're not calling the shots," said Rich O'Neill, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. "How much influence can he really have?"
Good question. I asked T-Mobile for Mallahan's job description—"vice president of strategic operations," which sounds influential. (And obscure.) They responded through their pr firm:
In response to your questions about Joe Mallahan, please refer to the following information, attributable to “T-Mobile,” not to any individual.
“We're pleased that T-Mobile employees are engaged in public service and are participants in the democratic process. We respect Joe's efforts to run for public office; he's currently taking a leave of absence from the company during his campaign. Beyond that T-Mobile has no further comment."
The Mallahan campaign submitted this job description: "Led a team charged with identifying and executing breakthrough profit drivers and customer experience improvements in all aspects of T-Mobile’s Customer-Facing Operations." Mallahan, apparently, had some achievements in the handset game—installment plans, promotion of, etc. In other words, more sales than personnel management. Fair enough.
The two most-cited reasons the unions went for Mallahan are a) the tunnel and b) his "management experience."
"Management isn't all bad," said Chris Dugovich, president of the Washington State Council of County and City Employees.
"Look, I have concern for the people in the telecommunications industry," said Eric Franklin of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. "But we're carpenters. We build things. We're concerned with infrastructure issues."
Every union I spoke to, except the Police Officers Guild, mentioned the tunnel as a central issue (and even the police mentioned it eventually). A few spoke of a perception of neglect from McGinn.
"We had talked to Joe earlier and didn't get any interest from Mr. McGoo or McGee or whatever," said Masterjohn. "Joe had good answers to the questions we asked—and if he doesn't know a lot about unions, we're hoping we can educate him and get him on board."
"Mallahan has spent a lot of time reaching out to labor," Franklin added. "They're both relative political unknowns."
McGinn agrees the union support—and some of the business support—for Mallahan is all about the tunnel. "That's the overriding issue of concern for unions and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce," McGinn said this afternoon in a phone interview. "There's a lot of money behind that tunnel and a lot of people against that tunnel."
David Freiboth is the chief executive officer of the King County Labor Council, the AFL-CIO umbrella with 125 affiliates and 75,000 members. In other words, The Man when it comes to labor in Seattle. (On how to pronounce his name: "Got two eggs? Fry both of 'em.")
Freiboth explained the union wariness about McGinn: "There's a concern that McGinn represents the kind of progressive environmentalism that takes economic growth for granted. McGinn shares a lot of our values and is emphatic about the way he lines up on our issues. But some of our members got the sense that if we were at odds on an issue, we'd be able to work better with Mallahan to find a responsible compromise."
So Mallahan is the candidate of compromise?
"With McGinn," Freiboth said, "there's an underlying fear of gridlock."
I proposed a thought experiment: no such thing as the Viaduct, no such thing as the 519 (another transportation issue regarding I-90 and pier 46, on which labor disagrees with McGinn). Would the unions have endorsed Mallahan?
"I'm not sure they would've," Freiboth said. "There are still folks uncomfortable with Joe's corporate background. And they're both still relative unknowns. In my 25 years in politics in this state, I've never been in this kind of situation with these kinds of stakes."
"We're gambling here."
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If you read some of the anti-green commentary today, you’ll often see sneering references to “green jobs.” The phrase is usually in quotation marks as if it is some kind of liberal fantasy or closet welfare program (and as if coal, oil and nuclear don’t get all kinds of subsidies). Nonsense. In 2008, more silicon was consumed globally making solar panels than microchips....
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