NYC-MYR: NYC's largest union endorses Maya Wiley in mayoral race
New York City’s largest union on Friday threw its support behind the mayoral campaign of Maya Wiley, a former MSNBC analyst and legal counsel for Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), giving her bid a shot in the arm in an unwieldy Democratic primary field.
The endorsement from the union, Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), marks one of the first announcements of support by a major labor group in the mayoral race, which has already garnered about two dozen Democratic contenders. The union was a chief endorser of de Blasio’s 2013 bid, which helped burnish his argument for electability in a similarly broad primary battle.
“Maya Wiley has the experience and vision needed to move us forward, and to reimagine what our city can be when working people have access to the tools and support needed to live with dignity,” said George Gresham, president of 1199. “Maya’s priorities are our priorities — from investing in and fairly compensating our caregivers to rebuilding our economy through job creation and training.”
The SEIU chapter’s backing is a major win for Wiley, who is polling in the top tier of the crowd and trying to bolster her progressive bona fides ahead of the June primary. Local 1199 represents more than 200,000 health care workers, including many women of color and essential employees who have continued working through the pandemic.
The union touted the need for Democrats to recognize the impact Black women such as Wiley had on the party’s successes in 2020, including taking back the Senate and winning the White House, a message that can go a long way in a city that has never elected a Black woman as its executive.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/539639-nycs-largest-union-endorses-maya-wiley-in-mayoral-race
= new reply since forum marked as read
