Unions: Sunday Shows Are Shutting Us Out

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/24/unions-sunday-shows-shutting-out_n_825773.html

UPDATE: The Huffington Post has learned that in addition to Christie, "Meet the Press" has preliminarily booked Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and "Fox News Sunday" has booked Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R). These bookings are not final and could still be changed. There are also still open slots for other guests on the shows.

WASHINGTON -- Though thousands of Americans have turned out this week to show solidarity with Wisconsin's public employees and oppose a threat to their collective bargaining rights, union officials say they have not been able to place a labor voice on this Sunday's editions of the weekly public-affairs TV shows. The shows' producers, they complain, are shutting out the workers' perspective.

A union official told The Huffington Post that when none of the Sunday shows' producers reached out to them to book a labor representative this week, several unions started to pitch the shows with affected workers and local and national leaders who they felt could discuss the protests. The official said the response from the shows was essentially "thanks, but no thanks."

"If you're a Sunday show and there are labor fights going on for two weeks, if you can just book ... Chris Christie, why would you actually go out and get somebody who is actually involved in this? That would be work!" snarked the official, adding, "Everybody's been pushing, and everybody's been shut down."

(As the one who posts these shows every week, thank you for finally saying something! This has been done for years!)