Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Council Member Mark Levine gathered union endorsements as the candidates hit their final laps of primary season.
At a rally outside of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, UNITE HERE! Local 100 officially endorsed Adams for mayor.
“We stand together with Eric Adams because he is one of us, a blue-collar brother in labor who understands the dignity of work,” said Jose Maldonado, secretary-treasurer and president-elect of UNITE HERE! Local 100. “He knows inequality because he has lived it, and as mayor he has the plan to reverse it for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers while making this a safer, fairer city for everyone. We are proud to endorse Eric, and to endorse his ‘People’s Plan’ that will deliver the cash assistance, childcare, and housing support that working families need now. The City Council and State Legislature should act immediately to make this plan a reality.”
Local 100’s endorsement adds to Adams’ list of union supporters including 32BJ SEIU, ATU, CSEA, DC37, the Hotel Trades Council, OPEIU Local 153, PEF, TWU Local 100, and the Uniform Fire Officers Association.
“Our food service and hospitality workers are the premium fuel that makes our city’s economic engine run, and we cannot have a real recovery without lifting them up and respecting their labor,” stated Adams. “As a former dishwasher, the endorsement of UNITE HERE! Local 100 is truly special. I will be the blue-collar mayor our city needs to reduce inequality, keep us safe, and deliver on the promise of New York City for all of us.”
Elsewhere 32BJ SEIU endorsed Levine for Manhattan borough president. Union president Kyle Bragg cited Levine’s commitment to advocating for the voiceless.
“Throughout his career as an advocate and City Council member, Mark Levine has supported 32BJ members and the issues they care about, so we are proud to endorse him for Manhattan borough president,” said Bragg. “As chair of the Health Committee, Mark worked closely with 32BJ to call on the city’s big hospital networks to make healthcare costs more transparent and accountable. He also supported fast food workers as they fought for a union and improved workplace conditions, as well as in their struggle to hold corporate giants like Chipotle accountable through health and workplace safety policies.”
Levine continued to solidify his union bonafides last week when he joined Transit Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 to rally with bus operators over the rise in assaults.