Too bad that Gov. Deval Patrick backed out of his scheduled appearance at the AFL-CIO annual conference in Plymouth, just because a bunch of angry police unions were picketing. He would have gained much more than he lost.
The cops consider it disgraceful and an attack on their collective bargaining rights that the state is allowing civilian flaggers to work on a few road construction sites, and that he has cut funding for the Quinn Bill. Those are two of the most ridiculous, and unpopular, giveaways to the unions. There is overwhelming public support for civilian flaggers, and everybody knows the Quinn Bill is money for next to nothing. If Patrick had shown some spine, he could have made the picketers look even more ridiculous than they already do, demanding gravy that has nothing to do with public safety at a time when those who live in the real world are hurting.
