Unions continued to dole out endorsements of candidates. This time, it’s for Bronx borough president and Manhattan district attorney.

City Council Member Vanessa L. Gibson locked up an endorsement from 1199SEIU for Bronx borough president. 1199SEIU Political Director Gabby Seay said that Gibson has a track record of addressing issues affecting working class people and people of color. Seay has no doubt that Gibson would keep that approach as the leader of the Bronx

“Vanessa L. Gibson has a proven record of fighting for our members and the Bronx, and we know she’ll keep standing up for working people as Bronx borough president,” said Seay. “Vanessa’s leadership has kept working people in their homes and young people in school and jobs. She’s stepped up to bring food, PPE, and other resources to the Bronx during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Gibson said that she wants to bring new jobs and opportunities to Bronxites and improve the overall health of the people in the borough. Known as the least healthy place in the city, Gibson said she would bring it back stronger and healthier with the help of unions such as 1199SEIU.

“The healthcare professionals in 1199SEIU are true frontline heroes who have sacrificed and served our community through the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is so meaningful and humbling to have their endorsement,” stated Gibson.

1199 recently endorsed Council Speaker Corey Johnson for New York City comptroller as well.

Elsewhere, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union announced their endorsement of former Chief Deputy Attorney General Alvin Bragg for Manhattan district attorney.

RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum stated that Bragg’s assistance and work with New York’s marginalized has him believing that the DA’s office would be in good hands.

“Throughout his career, he has prioritized the needs of workers, tenants and other vulnerable communities to make sure their rights are protected and voices are heard,” said Appelbaum. “He also upholds the levels of integrity that the office deserves and brings an awareness of the need for greater accountability and reform.”

Bragg recently served as the chief deputy attorney general in New York State and is currently a visiting professor of law and co-director of the Racial Justice Project at New York Law School. He’s also a former member of the Board of Directors of the New York Urban League and served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Bragg stated that COVID has exposed a lot of ills in the city, and he wants to have a hand in addressing them.

“The COVID pandemic has exacerbated what remains a chronic and unacceptable problem in our city—a systematic pattern of abuse by bad actors who pad their checkbooks on the backs of struggling working people,” stated Bragg. “It ends when our movement for change channels the power of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to hold accountable employers who cheat and endanger their employees. This is an urgent matter for fairness, for economic opportunity, and for racial justice…”

Bragg was recently endorsed by members of the Central Park 5.