As we noted earlier, Mayor Daley lambasted city workers yesterday as he attempted to defend his privatization of various public assets over the years.  Today, Chicago Federation of Labor president Dennis Gannon responded.  From the Sun-Times:

“At 3 a.m., we’ve got guys making sure the streets are safe and sound for citizens trying to get to work,” Gannon said. “Firemen were out at Holy Name. When you had that huge water main break on the North Side, they didn’t care about the clock. They were there to do a job for taxpayers.

“There are hard-working people doing more work today than they’ve ever done because of the downsizing of government. I know a lot of city workers. They’re my friends. I grew up with them. I know how hard they work and how dedicated they are.”

Meanwhile, despite the fact that the audio of Daley's comments is out there and the message is plain to see, he tried to backtrack today by claiming that he had been referring to "some people" who watch the clock, adding: "Here in Chicago we're fortunate that people just don't watch the clock."  He claimed that the media had taken him out of context and asked reporters -- in classic Daley parlance -- to "be responsible sometime to my political career as mayor of Chicago."  Unbelievable.