MA city candidates refuse union endorsement

City councilors running for re-election this fall are warning Massachusetts AFL-CIO officials they will not accept union endorsements in response to months of anti-Anna Jaques Hospital protests by members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103. Councilors Tom Jones, Bob Cronin and Brian Derrivan made the intentions of the entire council clear during a meeting of the AFL-CIO's Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council in Lowell when they presented labor council president Paul Georges with a letter. IBEW Local 103 business manager Louis Antonellis said the purpose of the protests has been to shed light on the hospital's double standard for hiring a nonunion company that doesn't ensure healthcare benefits, while treating patients' healthcare needs.