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The union is a fickle friend

Some Maryland county council members running for reelection have discovered the hard way that you cross the unions at your peril:

An endorsement on the Montgomery County teachers union’s coveted apple ballot has always carried considerable weight in the minds of county voters.

This year, in a wide-open election season, the biggest surprise of the union’s endorsements involved four incumbent County Council members: Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg, Nancy M. Floreen (D-At large) of Garrett Park, Marilyn J. Praisner (D-Dist. 4) of Calverton and Michael L. Subin (D-At large) of Gaithersburg, the longtime chairman of the council’s Education Committee, each failed to receive the union’s endorsement.

Four Democrats, all failing to secure the union’s support.  And why?

Union President Bonnie Cullison said at Thursday’s announcement in Rockville that Subin and Floreen failed to get backing because they voted to delay a cost-of-living adjustment for teachers and other county employees in 2003.

‘‘In the case of Marilyn Praisner and Phil Andrews, the 2003 vote is the baseline,” she said. ‘‘They tend to take a more moderate approach to the budget.”

Read carefully.  The union dropped their support over a single vote–to delay a pay raise!  Look, I might (and I do stress might) be able to understand if they had voted to cut funding or something along those lines.  But they were merely postponing it, not cutting it entirely.  I guess it’s just another reminder of the unions’ brand of hardball.