Unions looking for anyone but Quinn

From the Daily News:

A new group wants to combine the political power of 17 city unions in hopes of pushing one of the mayoral candidates ahead of the crowded field.

The coalition representing about 65,200 members is the brainchild of Detectives Endowment Association President Michael Palladino and Correction Officers Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook, whose union was one of the only labor groups to back Mayor Bloomberg’s first run for office in 2001.

“Our ultimate goal is to see if we can collectively get behind one candidate, and to put everything we have into getting that person elected mayor,” Palladino said.

The coalition includes all the unions that represent police and jail bosses, as well as the labor organizations representing sanitation workers and EMTs.

The unions hope to support a labor-friendly candidate at a time of rising public and political sentiment for reductions in union pension and health benefits.

A growing number of local labor leaders are frustrated with the early front-runner, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who supported Gov. Cuomo’s push to create a lower pension tier that slashes retirement benefits for new hires, labor insiders said.

“What has she ever done for labor?” asked one union president, who requested anonymity.