A group of rank-and-file union members from 1199SEIU are hoping to upend the mayoral race tomorrow by submitting a petition to rescind 1199SEIU’s endorsement of Andrew Cuomo for mayor of New York City, citing his record of scandals and close ties to the union’s former president accused of corruption.
On Friday, members of New York’s largest healthcare worker union, 1199SEIU, submitted a petition signed by over 350 union members calling on newly elected union President Yvonne Armstrong to rescind the endorsement. The members argued that a decision to endorse the former governor was made under the leadership of 1199SEIU President George Gresham, a close personal ally of Cuomo, who was ousted after an alleged corruption scandal.
Members, many of whom are immigrant workers, say that Cuomo doesn’t represent their values, that the union did not consult the membership when it endorsed Cuomo, and that the endorsement decision was made behind closed doors.
“Cuomo does not stand for a long-time New Yorker and immigrant to this city like me,” said Tara C., a 40-year-old immigrant from China who declined to give their last name out of fear of retaliation. “He has not lived here in decades, does not understand what it is like to move to the city and figure out how to make life here work, and will never appreciate the dynamics and challenges of New York City life.”
C. says Cuomo as mayor would exacerbate the city’s affordability crisis. “He will never understand the issue of housing affordability,” C. said.. “Further handouts to his developer friends to build more luxury buildings with micro-sized ‘affordable units’ in them is not a solution that will move the needle.”
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Fellow union member, Katherine L., a 32-year-old first-generation Mexican American who also declined to give her last name out of fear of retaliation, says that she can’t bring herself to support Cuomo because of his numerous accusations of sexual harassment and the alleged cover-up where his administration undercounted nursing home deaths during the pandemic.
“I’m proud to stand with other 1199 members who haven’t forgotten the substantiated acts of sexual harassment committed by Cuomo, which should disqualify anyone from becoming mayor,” she said. “I’m proud to stand with members who won’t forget that he put vulnerable people, like my mother, at risk by sending COVID patients back into nursing homes. I don’t believe that anyone who has committed acts like these should be anywhere near City Hall.”
Currently, the union’s members are mounting a grassroots campaign to spread their petition across hospitals, nursing homes, community-based organizations, reproductive care clinics, and legal aid organizations represented by 1199SEIU. They are hoping that with enough support, 1199SEIU leadership will be forced to approve their petition and reject Cuomo’s candidacy in time for the general election. Regardless of the outcome of the June 24 Democratic primary election, Cuomo is also running as an independent in the general mayoral election taking place in November.
Although the members’ petition appears to be unlikely, they hope that if they can persuade leadership to reconsider their endorsement, the union will conduct union-wide town halls with all the candidates, and provide members with information on each of the candidates’ platforms and their impact on members.
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In response to the petition drive, Rose Ryan, Press Secretary for 1199SEIU, defended the union’s endorsement of Cuomo and showed no sign that they would be reconsidering.
“1199SEIU conducted a robust member-led endorsement process, including a poll of New York City members along with interviews led by rank-and-file caregivers who met with candidates for mayor, city council, borough president, and comptroller,” Ryan said. “Andrew Cuomo was the overwhelming mayoral choice of our members based on his strong record.”
Cuomo’s campaign did not respond to Documented’s request for comment by press time.