A series of damning photos have outed union fat cat Mark Rosenthal as more of a sound sleeper than an effective organizer of the masses.
The 400-pound president of New York City’s largest blue-collar municipal workers union often eats a hefty meal before drifting off to sleep at his desk, members of Local 983’s executive board told the New York Post.
“He eats lunch when he arrives at work at 2 p.m. Then, like clockwork, he goes to sleep with a cup of soda on the table and the straw in it,” Vice President Marvin Robbins told the Post.
“Then he wakes up, looks at his watch and says, ’I have to get out before the traffic gets bad.’ He’s usually out by 4 p.m. after being at the office two hours.”
Union officials told the Post that Mr. Rosenthal, who earns $156,000 annually, racks up $1,400 in monthly food bills on the union dime.
Mr. Rosenthal denies the claims, saying they’re “part of a smear campaign” by those trying to get another Local 983 vice president, Joseph Puleo, to take his place, the Post reports.
But he added that it’s totally acceptable for executives to take “power naps.”
“I’m 60 years old, so if I eat during my lunch hour and take a little medication, can’t I close my eyes?” he told the Post. “Is it so outrageous?”
The union boss said he takes medication for back pain since he fell through a chair at a McDonald’s last year.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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