By: Benyamin Davidsons
Governor Andrew Cuomo has been embattled with several scandals, and his support now seems to be waning. The head of one of the state’s biggest transit unions said he is looking for another candidate to back in next year’s elections. “I didn’t go to Cuomo’s recent fundraiser. I’m over him,” TWU International President John Samuelsen told The Post, referring to Cuomo’s high-dollar dinner event on June 29.
As reported by the NY Post, the powerful national head of Transport Workers Union, which embodies 48,562 subway and bus workers in New York, is looking to back someone other than the incumbent who has become engulfed in scandals. “Am I considering an alternative to Cuomo for governor? Absolutely. Definitely,” he said. “We are not going to continue to support dishonest brokers — and Cuomo is one. I’m not going to support a guy who doesn’t support my members.”
In addition to the COVID-19 nursing home deaths scandal, the governor has been busy fighting off several allegations of sexual harassment, and for the past few months has been the subject of several investigations as well as an impeachment inquiry. A federal probe is also underway in regards to allegations that the governor misused state resources to write his $5.1 million pandemic memoir. The governor has denied any wrongdoing in all instances.
“How could the labor movement support someone for governor who engaged in workforce criminality, sexual harassment?” Samuelsen asked, in reference to the accusations. In addition, the former ally said he resented Cuomo’s recent proposal to split the MTA’s top job into two positions, and a plan to use non-union labor at the new LIRR terminal set to open in 2022.
While numerous elected Democrats have stopped backing Cuomo, Samuelsen is the first prominent labor leader to publicly break with Cuomo. The governor’s fundraiser at the end of June was still heavily stacked with union presidents. Samuelsen says, however, that the support will end if the Attorney General’s investigations find the governor guilty. “How could the labor movement support someone for governor who engaged in workforce criminality, sexual harassment?” said Samuelsen. “If Cuomo is found guilty in the report, you will see the trade unions start pulling away from him.”
Cuomo’s office responded saying that Samuelsen was sore that the pension sweetener wasn’t approved in Albany. “Samuelson is an extortionist who is trying to undo pension reform,” said Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi. “We also understand he is a political supporter of Tish James and she says she may run against the governor, and he wants more benefits in his contract.”
