Executives of a few of New York’s high unions have lengthy served as mouthpieces for Venezuela’s left wing socialist authorities previously headed by strongman Nicolas Maduro, an evaluation by a labor watchdog group claims.
Three New York labor officers visited Venezuela in 2017 to observe the Nationwide Constituent Meeting elections, on the invitation of the Venezuelan Transport Employees Union, and all gave fawning evaluations of the now-ousted Maduro regime.
The trio included Estela Vazquez, then-executive vice chairman of the 1199 SEIU Well being Care Employees Union East, John Patafio a vice chairman of Transport Employees Union Native 11 and Judy Gonzalez, former president of the New York State Nurses Affiliation.
“I’d say that (folks) want to come back and see for yourselves what is occurring in Venezuela. You cannot depend on CNN or every other worldwide communication or papers just like the New York Occasions or the Washington Put up, as a result of they’re solely reflecting the story of the ruling courses, the oligarchy of this nation, that need to protect their pursuits,” Vazquez informed a media outlet tied to the socialist authorities.
“They’re reflecting the voices of the 1%, whereas 99% of the Venezuelans assist the method, assist their authorities and so they need peace and so they need to proceed the social positive aspects they’ve made below the Bolivarian Revolution,” she was quoted as saying to Caracas-based media outlet Telesur.
The headline of the article: “US Commerce Unionist Unmask Mass Media Lies on Venezuela Meeting.”
Vazquez’s union additionally co-hosted and delivered the opening remarks at an African management summit on Sept. 28, 2015 that featured Maduro — the deposed dictator delivered to the US by President Trump’s administration to face expenses together with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism and import cocaine.
Gonzalez informed the outlet that the election was nicely organized, with out violence or chaos.
“We visited a number of polling locations and that was once we have been simply so moved by what was occurring. We have been simply overwhelmed by the variety of younger folks and ladies who have been principally working the vote,” stated Gonzalez, including she was impressed by the transparency.
Patafio agreed, telling the native outlet: “I’ve been by a variety of union elections, I do know what to search for when there’s dishonest, I didn’t see any dishonest.”
“I noticed a really open course of; I noticed the folks that have been controlling it, have been folks from the neighborhood, earnest. So, I assumed it was advantageous,” he stated.
Vazquez, Patafio and Gonzalez weren’t instantly accessible for remark Monday.
Impartial teams similar to Human Rights Watch stated Venezuela on the time was a dictatorial regime.
“Accumulation of energy within the govt department and erosion of human rights ensures have enabled the federal government to intimidate, persecute, and even criminally prosecute its critics,” Human Rights Watch wrote in a 2017 report.
Union leaders, in the meantime, have opposed the US navy’s seize of Maduro and his spouse of drug expenses this month.
“We must be demanding the fast launch of Nicholas Maduro and Cilia Flores,” stated Benjamin Dictor, the New York-based counsel for the United Auto Employees.
The Heart for Union Info slammed the labor leaders for taking part in footsies with a repressive socialist regime.
“The hypocrisy right here is insane. They’re standing up for a dictator in a repressive regime,” stated the curiosity group’s spokesperson, Charlyce Bozzello. “It’s disconnected from actuality. It’s fairly surprising.”
Present TWU president John Samuelsen stated the union didn’t pay for Patafio’s journey, and that he went of his personal volition.
The union booted Patafio from his place because the Native 100’s vice chairman for its Brooklyn bus division for making an attempt to improperly punish a philandering bus driver rep, The Put up reported final yr.
