Dan Maffei is "Deeply Saddened"

After the announcement that the New Process Gear plant in Dewitt will soon be closing, Congressman Dan Maffei issued a statement declaring that he is “deeply saddened and disappointed by the news.” The fate of the facility, which opened in 1888 and employs 1,400 people, was determined during a vote on Tuesday. The members of the United Autoworkers Union, which supported Maffei and raised huge sums of money for his campaign, voted overwhelmingly against a plan that would have saved the plant from closure until at least the end of the summer while an agreement could be reached between the plant management and the unions. Apparently the workers decided it was better to not have a job at all than to temporarily give up inflated union wages to keep the factory operational. Maffei’s strong alliances with Big Labor are worrisome, as mentioned in an earlier post.

Maffei was in the news again this week, relating to a question he asked during a House Financial Services Committee hearing relating to the Bernie Madoff scam. I bet you can’t guess what his question was about. If you picked ‘local union finances,’ you win!

Luckily for Maffei, he can take some time off from his work for Big Labor. Today begins the House Democratic Caucus Retreat at a luxury resort and spa in Virginia, courtesy of the U.S taxpayer for the special price of about $100,000 annually. I hope his “deep sadness” about the condition of the economy in Central New York doesn’t ruin his getaway weekend.