More labor unions have announced endorsements leading up to the primaries.
Last month, AFSCME District Council 37 endorsed Congressman Jamaal Bowman for re-election in New York’s 16th Congressional District. Bowman is currently serving his first term in office.
“Congressman Jamaal Bowman is no stranger to the needs of public employees,” stated AFSCME DC 37 Executive Director Henry Garrido. “As a former public school principal and teacher, he is intimately familiar with the challenges and hardships faced by our members on a daily basis. I have faith that he will continue to be an advocate for workers’ rights and labor protections in Congress and work towards creating a society that holds solidarity at its core.
Bowman quickly acknowledged and accepted the union’s endorsement.
“I am proud to be endorsed by AFSCME DC 37,” stated Bowman. “From road repairs to regulations, there are extraordinarily few things in the lives of New Yorkers that go untouched by a government worker. The fierce advocacy that DC 37 provides on behalf of these employees ensures that those who choose to serve their community are protected in the workplace.”
Bowman is currently being challenged by Vedat Gashi, a real estate attorney and Westchester County legislator. Gashi fashions himself as a moderate Democrat who thinks that the current congressman is too far left for his taste.
In the run for state assembly, current assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, who’s running for re-election in New York’s 68th Assembly District, was endorsed by the New York City District Council of Carpenters. Gibbs, the incumbent, was a member of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 608 for seven years.
“The New York City District Council of Carpenters proudly endorses Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs for re-election,” said the union in a statement. “A former union carpenter raised by a single mother, Eddie understands the challenges working people face in his community, and the difference a family-sustaining career in the unionized construction industry makes. Union workers will have his back at the ballot box, and he will continue to have ours in Albany.”
Gibbs said that he was happy to receive an endorsement from a group where he still has ties.
“Once a part of the union carpenter family, always a part of the union carpenter family,” stated Gibbs. “I am honored to receive the endorsement of the New York City District Council of Carpenters, whose members quite literally built this beautiful city we call home. Together, we are fighting to ensure working people and their families are not just able to get by in New York but able to thrive.”
Gibbs has also been endorsed by New York State United Teachers, Communications Workers of America Local 1180 and AFSCME District Council 37. He is the first formerly incarcerated individual to win a state assembly seat.