For years, the Culinary Union has been waging a war against the Ultimate Fighting Championship because the league's owners are the proprietors of a non-union casino chain. Yesterday the Culinary Union lost another battle in their misguided war of choice when the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission approved Chael Sonnen’s fight license. So the Culinary Union did, indeed, eat it.
Chael vs Shogun LIVE and FREE on FOX Sports 1 August 17th! EAT IT Las Vegas Culinary Union
— Dana White (@danawhite) August 8, 2013
The union said Sonnen couldn't fight because state law denies a fighting license to individuals who have been convicted of "moral turpitude." Sonnen was convicted of money laundering in 2006. According to a statement from the commission, though, "the Commission also considered complaints regarding his reputation and character but concluded no information the Commission received should preclude Sonnen’s licensure."
The union has had better luck tripping up Dana White in New York, where the union has a vice-grip on the cojones of the state house, the state attorney, and the speaker of the assembly.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have each chickened out. Schneiderman canceled a settlement meeting and Silver ran the clock out on this year’s legislative session.
The Washington Free Beacon's Bill McMorris broke down Schneiderman’s snogging with the Culinary Union:
Unite Here has pumped tens of thousands of dollars into Schneiderman’s war chest. It donated $55,000 to his 2010 attorney general race, making it his largest labor contributor, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. The union pumped another $10,000 into Schneiderman’s campaign in July 2012 despite his not being up for reelection until 2014.
Silver has been entangled in a "morally turgid" soap opera of his own that’s right out of San Diego.
Silver is accused of signing off on a secret $103,000 harassment settlement between disgraced former assembly-creeper Vito Lopez and two female staffers without reporting it to the ethics committee. Silver also has an aide on payroll embroiled in allegations over rape and intimidation over a female staffer.
The union better watch out or else Chael Sonnen might end up in its driveway.
@wandfc - I typed "wimp" into my GPS, and guess what? I'm in your driveway.
— chael sonnen (@sonnench) July 27, 2013