Boot the carriages

To the editor: 

As a management retiree from the NYC government, without union representation, I support those who continue the fight to keep Medicare over a Medicare Advantage plan, which most retirees don’t want.   

Many unions have lost their way, grabbing power, forgetting who they represent, using endorsements to control politicians, since many grovel to get them. They forget they represent people, not “management.” Unions have done much for workers, but this is something else entirely. 

It’s not surprising that District Council 37 ranked City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams first since she has not advocated for retirees on this issue. 

Adams's position on animal bills in the City Council also is no secret. Polls indicate that 71 percent of New Yorkers want the carriage horse trade gone. It’s outdated, cruel and a safety hazard for both people and horses. Still, it continues. Unions began to “represent” the carriage owners in 2007, beginning with the Teamsters, transitioning in 2019 to the Transit Workers Union. Its officials have pressured many Council members to withhold support for any bill that would end the carriage trade. 

Activist groups have generated tens of thousands of calls and emails to Adams but she has refused to meet with supporters of Intro 573, Council legislation that would wind down the horse-drawn carriage industry in favor of a horseless electric carriage program. 

She’s not alone. There are several Council members who originally promised to support a carriage horse ban, but then got union endorsement, and turned their backs on the legislation.   

Hopefully, people who care about their retirement health benefits and also care about animals will not rank Adams at all.  

Elizabeth Forel 

Forel is president of the Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc.