PBA hammers ‘Backdoor Blas’
Labor lover sneaks past NYPD union
Mayor de Blasio has snubbed NY1 due to a labor dispute at the cable channel — but snuck in the back entrance of a Queens public school for a town hall Wednesday night to avoid members of the NYPD’s largest police union protesting a contract impasse.
De Blasio — who for two weeks has skipped his regular Mondaynight interview on Spectrum News NY1’s “Inside City Hall” — ignored cops gathered outside the front entrance of PS 42 in the Rockaways.
“Shame on you!” “Coward!” and “Back Door Billy!” shouted cops who moved toward the back entrance once they realized de Blasio was headed that way.
The cops are angry that the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association has been without a contract since July 2017.
PBA President Pat Lynch said Hizzoner “tends to sneak in the back because he does not want to face New York City police officers.”
Meanwhile, Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has been on strike for more than 18 months against NY1 owner Charter Spectrum.
That strike, however, quickly ground to a halt on Monday as a congressional debate in a hotly contested race in the upstate Hudson Valley was set to take place and be broadcast on Charter Spectrum’s regional news channel.
The Tuesday-night debate between freshman Republican Rep. John Faso and Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado is seen as a major opportunity for Democrats to take away a right-leaning seat.
“Now that Spectrum has agreed to come to the negotiating table, we have decided to suspend all worker actions against NY1 and other affiliates while talks are underway,” Chris Erikson, business manager of IBEW Local 3, said in a statement. “We thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership in working to resolve this matter.”
Political Anchor Errol Louis, who hosts NY1’s “Inside City Hall,” said the timing of the strike suspension was no accident.
“No mystery here,” Louis tweeted Wednesday night.
“@NYGovCuomo and other top Dems didn’t want to take the blame for denying @DelgadoforNY19 a debate vs @JohnFasoNY in the closely contested #NY19.
“So they suspended the picket until the debate happens. Strikers are being manipulated for the convenience of pols.”
Delgado, meanwhile, needed to walk back his comment that Israel “is not a Jewish democracy” because of its settlements in disputed territories.
Delgado, locked in a tight race Faso, made the comment during their debate Monday in Albany.