Round two between Teamsters President Sean O’Brien and Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin positive was a doozy.
The Senate flooring on Tuesday practically remodeled right into a wrestling ring or UFC Octagon when the Republican senator challenged Charlestown’s O’Brien to an precise battle.
It by no means turned bodily, however the shouting match led to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders getting in the midst of the battle as he began yelling and banging his gavel, demanding decorum and reminding Mullin he was a senator.
The beef between O’Brien and Mullin has been constructing for months. They went at one another throughout a March Senate listening to as they argued about unions, their salaries and union members’ dues. During the extraordinary trade, O’Brien mentioned Mullin had “hid money” when he owned an organization.
After that Senate listening to, O’Brien — a fourth era Teamster who joined Teamsters Local 25 in Charlestown when he was 18 — tweeted a number of occasions about Mullin.
“After you left here, you got pretty excited about the keyboard,” Mullin advised O’Brien throughout Tuesday’s listening to for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
He famous that O’Brien tweeted at him 5 occasions, and the senator confirmed the posts on printouts on the listening to.
“The last one (post) said, ‘Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self-made,’ ” Mullin mentioned.
“Sir, I wish you was in the truck with me when I was building my plumbing company myself and my wife was running the office, because I sure remember working pretty hard and long hours,” the senator mentioned in response to O’Brien’s publish.
Then Mullin learn the remainder of the publish, ” ‘What a clown. Fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me. Any place, any time cowboy.’ ”
Then Mullin challenged him to a bodily battle.
“Sir, this is a time. This is a place,” the senator mentioned. “If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here.”
“OK, that’s fine,” O’Brien responded. “Perfect.”
“You want to do it now?” Mullin requested.
“I’d love to do it right now,” O’Brien responded.
“Well, stand your butt up then,” Mullin advised O’Brien.
“You stand your butt up,” O’Brien mentioned.
The senator then stood up, and Sanders began yelling.
“Hold it! Stop it! Sit down!” Sanders mentioned. “You know you’re a United States senator!”
The Independent senator began banging his gavel, and advised O’Brien that he couldn’t reply at the moment.
“This is a hearing, and God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress,” Sanders mentioned. “Let’s not make it worse.”
Mullin saved attempting to speak over Sanders.
“I don’t like thugs and bullies,” Mullin mentioned of O’Brien.
The Teamsters president responded, “I don’t like you because you just described yourself… You challenged me to a cage match, acting like a 12-year-old schoolyard bully.”
They each emphasised that they don’t respect one another in any respect.
Mullin then proposed that they battle for charity at an occasion subsequent 12 months in Oklahoma.
O’Brien rejected the charity battle supply, saying, “Let’s have coffee. Discuss our differences,” earlier than calling Mullin an “embarrassment” a number of occasions.
Before the viral verbal spat, O’Brien was on the Senate listening to to tout the significance of unions.
“Let me start with a simple fact: Workers who belong to a union earn better wages and benefits than workers who aren’t union members,” he mentioned throughout the listening to, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics that present the common union employee makes 18% greater than their non-union counterpart.
Earlier this 12 months, the Teamsters negotiated the largest-ever personal sector collective bargaining settlement at UPS, O’Brien mentioned.
“More than 340,000 UPS Teamsters showed the world the positive difference belonging to a union makes for working people,” he mentioned, noting how they secured historic wage will increase for the employees. “This historic new five-year agreement is by far the best contract ever secured for American workers at UPS.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”