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Miami Mayor Manny Diaz’s time as head of the U.S. Conference of Mayors has come to an end, and usually the sitting American president sends administration officials to the conference — this year held in Providence, Rhode Island — but the Obama administration pulled out.
The reason: Providence Mayor David Cicilline is in a labor dispute with the firefighters’ union, and the group was picketing the event. Vice President Joe Biden was scheduled to attend, but the White House said it would not break its policy of not crossing picket lines.
In his speech, Diaz had harsh words for the move: “This will not be the last time this administration will be asked to make a similar choice. This choice may not be different from future choices of going to Chicago, L.A., New York, Philly, or Miami. This is why the administration is setting a very dangerous precedent.”
[Naked Politics: Diaz says Obama made ‘terrible mistake’]
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