Burson-Marsteller Mark Penn,
who doubles as Hillary Clinton's top strategist, says he would never represent
management in a dispute with labor.
"As matter of conscience,
work for management side of labor disputes is not something I will change on,"
Penn said via an e-mail to this website. Letter
sent to Sen. Clinton by labor leaders concerned about Burson-Marsteller's work
for Cintas. |
Penn's statement follows June 1 letter
sent to Senator Clinton by Teamsters president Jim Hoffa and UNITE Here president
Bruce Raynor that complained about B-M's effort to "undermine workers right
to organize at Cintas."
That uniform company hired B-M to thwart
a union organizing effort. The Cintas assignment came before Penn became B-M's
CEO.
The Hoffa/Raynor missive was written in "distress,"
but the writers wanted to inform Clinton about labor issues and "do not want
to see you or the Democratic Party embarrassed."
Penn's pro-union
stance is due to his father's work as a labor organizer and former leader of the
poultry workers in New York.
Clinton is scheduled to attend an AFL-CIO
town hall meeting in Detroit on June 9. AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney has
asked Clinton to address the Penn issue. |