After the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) announced that Providence, Rhode Island firefighters plan to picket at a mayor's conference to be held in July, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced that Vice-President Joe Biden and other high-ranking officials would not be attending. Gibbs said also that the withdrawal was not meant as a snub to the mayors, but was made out of respect for the picket line, and that new measures would be taken to confer with the mayors in other ways. The Providence firefighters and mayor David Cicilline have disputed for several years over the firefighter's contract. The IAFF praised the White House's decision to withdraw from the conference, while mayor Cicilline said that the firefighter's had deprived Providence of a chance to shine.
See "White House won't cross picket line for event", msnbc.com, June 7, 2009