Mayor’s Award Delayed After Teachers, Other Unions Threaten To Picket

The President of the New Bedford Educators Association, with the support of other public unions, threatened to picket a regional labor dinner in October, where Mayor Jon Mitchell was supposed to receive the prestigious George Ripley award. 

The award was supposed to recognize the Mayor and Matt Morrissey for their work on making the Marine Commerce Terminal project a reality....

Teachers union President Lou St. John tells WBSM News, he was joined by the leaders of other public unions in making the case that Mayor Mitchell was not a friend of labor....

The award was never presented that night, and the Mayor didn't attend. Mitchell says the city has settled the teachers contract, and is still talking with the other bargaining units.  The Ripley awards were eventually presented last week, at a low key event with no prior publicity.