The Executive Board of District Council 37, the city’s largest public employee union with 121,000 members and 50,000 retirees, voted unanimously today to endorse President Barack Obama for reelection in 2012.
The vote by the DC 37 Executive Board followed a Dec. 6, 2011, endorsement of President Obama by the union’s international, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents 1.6 million union members nationwide.
DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said, “We have endorsed President Barack Obama, because in the face of mounting attacks on public employees and the unions that represent them, and the relentless efforts to privatize the safety-net services we provide, he is a proven fighter whose stand on economic, political and social issues demonstrates a strong support for protecting the rights of our country’s working men and women.
“As AFSCME President Gerald McEntee said, ‘President Obama is the only choice for the 99%. We must put people back to work, make the 1 percent pay their fair share, and protect Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. President Obama will stand up for working families.’ We at DC 37 couldn’t agree more.”
AFSCME President Gerald McEntee is the chair of the AFL-CIO’s Political Committee. In 2008, AFSCME launched a one-of-a-kind nationwide campaign to elect President Obama, recruiting more than 40,000 activists, made more than 6 million calls to members and deployed hundreds of staff to 17 key battleground states to ensure victory.
“District Council 37’s endorsement carries with it a pledge to work with AFSCME and mobilize our members early for a tough fight, and to work diligently on President Obama’s behalf with our proven, sophisticated field operations to get out the vote,” said Ms. Roberts.
District Council 37 is New York City’s largest public employee union, with 121,000 members and 50,000 retirees.