Workers don’t want the ‘right’ to work for less
Flushing: It can’t be a coincidence that the Daily News would platform a carnival barker touting national “right to work” legislation on Labor Day (“All Americans need the right to work,” op-ed, Sept. 1), no less while the newspaper is in the middle of its own labor dispute with its employees. Mark Mix of the National Right To Work Committee touts an example of corruption of “union bosses.” Union officers are not bosses, they are democratically elected leaders, and corruption in other institutions — including among our elected politicians — far exceeds the shortcomings of a few weak individuals. He plays the race card as well.
Suggesting that workers would be better off under a national “right to work” law is nonsense. Only the real company bosses win in that situation. No dues means no unions, who wouldn’t be able to afford to operate — which means no rights, no protections, lower standards and no more middle class in America. Trade unionists know better. The labor movement has been under attack for more than 45 years, especially after Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. The movement is the only organized group of working-class Americans stopping the top 1% in this country from having it all.
We’re not stupid. We know our union cards are pathways to a better life. We can feed our families, own homes and have medical benefits. We’re able to send our children to college and, most importantly, to be able to retire in dignity without being a burden on our families or the government. A union job is about economic security. Keep unions strong, brothers and sisters, and shame on you, Daily News. Christopher Erikson
Unions benefit
Massapequa, L.I.: Mark Mix, your opinion is wrong. I belonged to a union my whole life and was proud to pay my yearly dues. Every three years, we got a new contract with a raise and increase in benefits. I was never told to contribute to a cause or be fired, as you state happened in L.A. People who get a job and are then told to join a union know beforehand that it’s a union job and dues will be required. There are plenty of jobs out there with no union. They may not pay the same, but no union dues. You mention the NFL Players Association union. Yes, this does happen occasionally. What if you owned stock in a company and the CEO took a large group for a two-martini lunch at a high-end restaurant, then put the bill on his company credit card? Ron Boehning
Shared feelings
Floral Park: In another pathetic attempt to draw attention and stay relevant, former comedian Rosie O’Donnell irresponsibly and incorrectly labeled Minneapolis Catholic school shooter Robin Westman a MAGA supporter. O’Donnell, whom I never found funny, turned her back on the U.S.A. when President Trump took office and now lives in Ireland with her wife. She must be pretty busy in her new country because she didn’t take the time to do her homework. Westman actually harbored a disturbing contempt for our president, just like O’Donnell. What a surprise it must have been for Rosie to learn that she and the shooter had so much in common. Angelo Vetrano
One solution
Manhattan: Voicer Jeffrey Van Pelt gave me a good laugh. In response to a guest on a news program who suggested that high-powered guns must not be able to be obtained in order to stop all the school shootings, he said, “Knock off the anti-gun sermon and let’s get a solution to this problem.” Is he kidding? What solution is he suggesting other than to make high-power guns unavailable? What other solution does he have in mind? Divine intervention? Van Pelt does not want to do away with high-powered guns but wants some other solution. For the life of me, I can’t think of another. I think he must be joking. How else to explain his faulty logic? Wake up, Mr. Van Pelt. High-powered guns in the hands of unhinged individuals are the problem. What alternate reality do you live in? Marcia Epstein
Junk priorities
Edgewater, N.J.: Luckily, MAGA weighed in to protect us all from the potential perils to our freedoms imposed by a rebranding of Cracker Barrel. Thank goodness we were spared, but where is MAHA on the artery-clogging damage done by its menu? And why is the MAHA president serving pizza and cheeseburgers to the National Guard patrolling D.C. when he should be serving the likes of carrot sticks, bananas and fresh juices? Is it to make America’s junk food purveyors great again? And wasn’t it the first, pre-MAHA Trump administration that gleefully restored the French fryers into school cafeterias that were so rudely ripped out by the Obamas in the interest of our children’s health? Surely, MAHA is going to remove those next, right? Jay K. Egelberg
Having served
Chatham, N.J.: To Voicer JoAnn Lee Frank: As a National Guardsman who served during the period when the Guard was deployed against unarmed civilians at Kent State University, I view Trump’s deployment as dangerous, ill-conceived and politically motivated since it focuses on cities whose mayors are Democrats. The entire country was appalled at the Kent State shooting, and for a time, there was great hesitation to deploy armed troops during civilian protests. Paul Denk
Russian connection
Manhattan: Some people think or hope that secret Epstein files will show that Trump either had an underage girl or had direct knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. There won’t be any such evidence, and looking for it is a waste of time. Once all the records come out, people should look for Russian names. If they look, they’ll find a Russian billionaire who got a young girl. Then ask the question: How did Epstein get the Russian billionaire’s name? Trump may not have any direct moral or legal guilt, but he’s afraid that if the truth comes out, people will think he pimped an underage girl for Russia. John Stout
Get well soon
Brooklyn: Do you know how I can send a get-well card to Rudy Giuliani (“Rudy hurt in crash,” Sept. 1)? Is his address available? Peter Bonventre
Dubious distinction
Manhattan: The real reason Bill de Blasio is endorsing Zohran Mamdani is so he will no longer be considered the worst mayor in this century (“Why I am endorsing Zohran Mamdani,” op-ed, Sept. 2). He would be considered the worst mayor in history but for Fernando Wood, who wanted NYC to secede from the Union after Abraham Lincoln’s election. Paul Weissman
Zinging endorsement
Rego Park: Wow. Bill de Blasio, the man who singlehandedly broke New York into irreparable shards, endorsing Mamdani. If ever there was a reason not to vote for Mamdani, this would be it. Oreg Tuttle
Dodgy event
Manhattan: I could say that six more shootings at this year’s West Indian Day Parade, which matches the violence of the past several years, should warrant its cancelation in the future. But someone out there would say that several hundred-thousand spectators didn’t get shot. Always do some stretching before the parade to ease your ducking for cover. Michael Malewich
Unstable individual
Staten Island: Re “Alleged killer led life filled with rage” (Sept. 1): Jimmy Avila, 44, had an established mental health history, two documented incidents with the NYPD and now he was the alleged killer of his building super. Unfortunately, he died by suicide while being held on Rikers Island. This is the perfect reason that we need some people to be sent into a mental health facility. Why is it that politicians don’t do something about this problem? Thomas Bell
Further to go
Flushing: The MTA just finished the bus changes in Queens. Now there are five to six blocks between stops. I guess they do not care about the elderly or people with disabilities. The buses are faster, but to what end if some people are not able to get to the new bus stop? John Weiss
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