A large number of New York State?s public employee unions are skipping an annual conference held for Hispanic lawmakers in protest of the passage last week of a bill cutting pension benefits for new public hires. The event, Somos el Futuro, is largely funded by various public unions as a means for legislators to meet labor leaders. Union ire over the bill?s passage has ranged in expression from boycotting the conference to withdrawing funding for the meeting. In the most extreme case, the Civil Service Employees Association has pulled all political endorsements and campaign contributions to state legislators.
See "Angry at Pension Vote, Unions Plan to Skip Hispanic Event", Thomas Kaplan, The New York Times, March 22, 2012