Non paid writer for Huff Post fired for helping union protest of bankers yesterday (UPDATE petition)

[Omaha Steve]

The petition is here: http://act.ly/2zh

@huffpost business editor @petersgoodman has damaged the credibility of the Huffington Post by firing @mikeelk, a labor reporter who covered a rally that embarassed bankers at a Mortgage Bankers Summit in Washington, DC.

@petersgoodman has ruined the credibility of the @huffpost by taking orders from the same people who caused the financial crisis. It is time the @huffpost find a suitable and independent replacement for @petersgoodman. Click here for coverage of the rally: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232/?video=1752104686&play=1




Mike Elk was fired by Huffington Post. No link. And I can't post the private email. I can tell you it involved Mike helping union workers with yesterday's protest. Mike is a hell of a labor reporter btw.

Here is the event that lead up to today's sacking.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/union-protest-mortgage-bankers-summit_n_811003.html

Shahien Nasiripour

First Posted: 01/19/11 12:10 PM

UPDATE - See below for a statement provided by the Pulte Group.

WASHINGTON -- About 200 union workers interrupted a meeting of mortgage bankers at a posh hotel Wednesday.

The protest -- aimed at the Pulte Group, one of the nation's largest homebuilders -- quickly turned into a scrum as workers wearing hardhats and shouting through bullhorns overwhelmed the security staff at the JW Marriott, bursting into a crowded conference room before a stunned crowd of bankers.

Shouting "Where are the jobs?" and "Where is the money?" the protesters from the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, many in overalls and helmets, said taxpayers have provided $900 million in tax breaks to Pulte with the aim of creating jobs. They said they haven't seen the results they were promised.

"Those tax breaks were supposed to create jobs," Wayne Peworchik, one of the protesters, said. "That was President Obama's and Congress's intent."

"Instead, Pulte laid off workers," Peworchik said.

Marc Norberg, the union official who led the protest, said they protested the summit held by the Mortgage Bankers Association of America because "this is where Pulte is, and the mortgage bankers should know."

FULL story at link.

[EFerrari]

1. K&R

[aquart]

2. k&R

[rfranklin]

3. "You can't a fire me, I'm a quit!"

I think that was a Chico Marx line in one of their movies.

[TheWraith]

4. "damaged the credibility of the Huffington Post"? HuffPost has little credibility.

They let anti-science whackos take over their medical coverage, repeat falsehoods about Obama, give a voice to Republican propagandists like Paul Helmke... This new low is hardly a surprise.

[druidity33]

9. don't forget...

dumping Cenk's piece about false equivalency recently...

:shrug:

[Catherina]

5. Someone needs to raise this to Ariana immediately.

This will backfire on HuffPo. Union Workers are already going to picket them for firing him.

After watching Ariana on Tavis Smiley this week, I doubt she would agree.

Mike tweeted this an hour ago: "sounds like @petersgoodman is pretty nervous and insecure about what people are saying about his decision to can me"



He's got my support. Thanks for posting this. Rec'd.

[Omaha Steve]

6. It wouldn't hurt to write to Peter Goodman directly, it was his decision

Here: [e-mail]


I need to proofread my posts EVEN when in a hurry. "Here is the event that lead up to today's sacking" OOPS!

[Overseas]

7. What an amazing demonstration to cover! You'd think HuffPo would love to hear

from right on the scene, just how that message was received.

After all, we are wondering, every day, just how far the Too Big To Fail are willing to shove our country into the doldrums, creating none of The Jobs Jobs Jobs that giving to the rich is supposed to engender.

It's like Bernie Sanders' plaintive question during his filibuster-- How much is enough for you guys?

Hundreds of thousands have been evicted from their homes and bankrupted by medical emergencies. We could sure use those thousands of jobs that giving to the rich is supposed to net us all.

We want those infrastructure repairing jobs that will also roll out some green technology so we can catch up with the rest of the developed world. Like we were told about NASA having spin-off rewards in commercial sectors, ditto with national infrastructure repair. We can beef up our domestic alternative energy companies. Help our country use oil more consciously, so it will last longer so our grandchildren can use it too.

[Omaha Steve]

8. About that story

Mike was covering the story for "Working in These Times".

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working

[Poboy]

10. Recommend.