BLOOMINGTON
-- Several aldermen are condemning tactics used by a local group who
sent a letter asking county music singer Martina McBride to support a
living wage for U.S. Cellular Coliseum workers.
"They are a bunch of thugs," said Alderman J. "Skip" Crawford said of the Central
Illinois Organizing Project. "Their intent is to hold the Coliseum
hostage if they don’t get their way."
The group is pushing to
get Coliseum workers paid $9.33 an hour, a rate they say will
givesomeone working 40 hours a weeks enough for the rent on a
single-bedroom apartment. The starting wage for ushers is $6.75 an hour.
"I
think they are out of bounds, trying to coerce the city by talking to
these entertainers," said Alderman Allen Gibson said. "What do these
people know about our issues?"
The City Council, voted down a
living wage ordinance by a 5-4 vote in November 2004. Since then the
group has turned its attention to putting pressure on Central Illinois
Arena Management.
"Just because the council voted on it doesn’t mean it goes away," said Alderman Mike Matejka.
Alderman
John Hanson said the living wage is a decision for the council. If the
city forced a living wage at the Coliseum, they would be changing the
terms of the 10-year contract between the city and the management
company, he said.
In addition to speaking out against the group,
aldermen including Crawford, Gibson, Kevin Huette and Jim Finnegan said
they were concerned about Matejka’s involvement.
"He is free to
do what he wants to do but in my mind this should remove him from any
future council action or votes tied to CIOP," Huette said.
Matejka's
name is one of three on letter to McBride and under his name his work
affiliation with the AFL-CIO and his position as a city alderman is
listed.
Finnegan said he is unhappy with the letter and the group’s March demonstration in the offices used by the Coliseum staff.
"These are attempts to intimidate staff," Finnegan said.
Rock singer John Mellencamp met with about nine members of the group including Matejka before his concert last month.
Unlike
Mellencamp, Coliseum General Manager Mike Nelson said he has been told
by McBride’s publicist that McBride will not grant anymore interviews
prior to her May 12 concert because she doesn’t want to get involved.
Don
Carlson, a spokesman for the advocacy group, said the thought that they
control McBride and her interest in doing interviews is "ridiculous."
"There is no way CIOP should be used as a scapegoat for this," Carlson said. "We have always wanted the arena to succeed."
On
Wednesday Nelson said he received an e-mail from McBride’s promotion
company with a message asking Nelson to call them immediately. Attached
to the e-mail was a copy of the advocacy group’s letter.
"So I
called them and her publicist said Martina’s people don’t want her
getting dragged into a local issue she knows nothing about," Nelson
said. "I’m not making them a scapegoat, I am just telling you what I
was told."
FrontPage Publicity, the group representing McBride, issued a statement that McBride would not comment on this issue.
"Martina
is a country music artist. She is not running for office," the
statement said. "Martina is looking forward to going to Bloomington and
putting on a great show."
Matejka said the advocacy group never encouraged McBride not to conduct interviews.
"Maybe
if Central Illinois Arena Management was willing to sit down and talk
with community groups rather than stirring up false controversies, they
wouldn’t have this problem," Matejka said.
Despite the growing
division between Coliseum management and the group, Mayor Steve
Stockton said he believes a proposal to share profits from the Coliseum
with employees could solve the issue for both.
Aldermen Karen Schmidt and Steven Purcell were not available.
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