April 3, 2008 Teamsters sends out threat letter after casino vote Play video

(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - Teamsters union local 25 has sent letters to lawmakers who voted against the casino bill, saying they will work to get them defeated this election cycle.

NECN's Alison King has details.

Script:

About six weeks before the House debated, voted on and then defeated the casino gambling bill, 108-46, lawmakers received a letter from Sean O'Brien, the President of Teamsters local union 25.

It clearly stated, in this upcoming election year, the union would only support candidates who favored Governor Deval Patrick's bill that would build resort casinos in Massachusetts. Just after the vote, on March 25th, the union followed up on it's threat -- with another letter, sent to lawmakers saying it would:

"...solicit candidates to run against certain incumbents who voted against us on this issue. Although we may not be 100% successful, I believe we will win some of the seats and make the rest spend money to protect their seats."

Representative Marty Walz: "Certainly withholding endorsements or withholding financial contributions from candidates and incumbent Representatives and Senators is well within their rights."

Boston Representative Marty Walz received the letter, despite her 100% union voting record. She says she does not object to the union's tactic -- but says she would have adopted a different strategy.

Walz: "I would have taken a longer term view in the sense of 'let's look at the whole relationship

Governor Patrick: "That's the first time I'm hearing about a letter and -- look -- there's a lot of frustration out there, I understand that..."

Governor Patrick says he appreciates the union's support, but had no comment on the letter itself.

Patrick: "That is their decision and their choice."

The union now has just three weeks left to find candidates to run against more than 100-state lawmakers -- since there is an April 29th deadline to file nomination papers before the fall election.

Union President Sean O'Brien was not available for comment, but Representative Walz says she's confident her vote against casinos was consistent with the views of the vast majority of her constituents.