Strong support for State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s Democratic primary is boosting his chances to be elected mayor in the November 4 general election.
Prominent labor unions that had endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor have now switched sides.
Mamdani visited the headquarters of the 40,000-member Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC) within two days of Cuomo conceding to him. After asking for the union’s support, on June 27 HTC posted support for Mamdani on its X/Twitter page: “Today, our union proudly announced our endorsement.”
Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, the union of 185,000 property service workers said, “Zohran Mamdani has united and inspired New Yorkers around a positive and optimistic vision for a truly affordable city. He is ready and equipped to fight for our city and has made clear he is ready to stand up to attacks from the Trump administration.” Pastreich promised to put “boots on the ground” to help get Mamdani elected.
New York City’s largest union, the 150,000-member DC 37, had endorsed Adrienne Adams, Zohran Mamdani, and Zellnor Myrie –– in that order –– as its rank-choice picks for the Democratic primary. And Mamdani’s campaign retains support from United Auto Workers Region 9A; Workers United NY/NJ, which represents manufacturing, retail, food service, garment-making, and distribution center workers; the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU), the largest resident physician union in the country; the film and television industry workers of IATSE Local 161; City University of New York’s union workers in PSC/CUNY; UNITE HERE Local 100’s cafeteria, dining room, and restaurant workers; and the delivery and warehouse employees of Teamsters Local 804.
Transform NYC’s political status quo
Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, has pledged to transform New York City’s political status quo. If elected, he wants to fight against the federal government’s ability to use masked ICE agents to abduct and then deport people. He says he will tackle the high cost of living in the city by freezing rents on stabilized apartments, by making the MTA’s buses free to ride, and by increasing the taxes paid by corporations and high-income individuals. He plans to use those funds to pay for social programs that will help reduce inequality.
Mamdani’s progressive policies have appealed to liberal-oriented union workers. Even though the healthcare workers union, 1199SEIU, officially came out in support of Cuomo back in April, a group calling itself the 1199 Members Against Cuomo has started a petition to call for that endorsement to be rescinded. The 450 union members who signed the petition are calling for 1199SEIU’s newly elected president, Yvonne Armstrong, to “rescind our union’s endorsement of Andrew Cuomo and set a new precedent for how 1199SEIU conducts its political process, defined by integrity, transparency, and real member participation.”
The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) did not back any candidate in the Democratic primary, citing a lack of consensus among its members, and so far has not said who it would support in November. The UFT also, however, has members who have started a petition calling for an endorsement of Mamdani. “We call on the UFT to join DC37, the UAW, the PSC and other unions that endorsed Zohran for the primary,” the petition states, “as well as the growing number of unions that have endorsed since the primary including 32BJ, NYSNA and HTC. We urge the UFT to swiftly endorse Zohran Mamdani, a candidate who understands the power of organizing, and a candidate we can trust to wield that power to champion the rights of our members, students and families, immigrants, and all working people.”
The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) also did not back any candidate in the Democratic primary but is now endorsing Mamdani. NYSNA President Nancy Hagans said, “NYSNA is proud to support Zohran Mamdani, a candidate who consistently puts the interests of working people first, and is glad that labor is coalescing around him to meet this moment. We share his commitment to fighting for a city that provides healthcare, public transportation, education, and other vital services, so that New Yorkers don’t just survive but thrive. Mamdani has shown up for nurses in our campaigns to increase funding for public hospitals, achieve pay equity for public sector nurses, prevent hospital closures, and protect New York City from future public health emergencies. Mamdani can count on NYSNA nurses for our support.”