Not to make light of others’ hardships (even if those hardships are relative), but this line from Local 1033’s “business manager,” Donald Iannazzi, on the layoffs of his walking-guard clients truly deserves highlighting:

“Here we have 18 people from working-class families who are members of the Warwick community,” he said. “They care about our kids, the neighborhoods and their city. They’re heartbroken right now.
“We know that if we can get the city back to the bargaining table we can put together something that’s fair for our union and for the city as well.”

If they’re heartbroken over the loss of their roles in the community, then I’m sure the city would be willing to hire them back at the new terms. If they’re heartbroken at the loss of their golden egg, well, as understandable as that might be, I’m sure there are plenty of regular Rhode Islanders (or, more pointedly, ex–Rhode Islanders) who’d be willing to compare sob stories.