Big names in labor coming out for an incumbent congressman behind in the polls.
“We are now up to 20 labor union endorsements,” Rep. Dan Goldman said in Lower Manhattan on Friday.
What You Need To Know
Rep. Dan Goldman was rallying with labor unions on Friday
Some of those unions are critical of Brad Lander’s time as city comptroller
Lander will rally with other progressive candidates, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders next week
Goldman, who represents the 10th Congressional District, rallied with members from the UFT, the municipal workers union District Council 37 and the carpenters on Friday — trying to help to what many believe is now an underdog candidacy.
On full display was some of labor’s disdain for Goldman’s opponent: Brad Lander.
“When he was running for comptroller he came to us we backed him loves the unions, loves the unions, when it comes to working class wages now we make too much money,” said Michael Piccirillo of the District Council of Carpenters. “Come on.”
They say there are several key issues.
“The experience many of these unions have over his career in politics is that he flip flops and he can’t be trusted, and they know they can trust me,” Goldman said.
Lander has criticized an affordable housing tax incentive that the carpenters say raised their wages.
In a statement to NY1, a Lander spokesperson explained it this way: “Brad has criticized the 485x program because it’s just not working to build affordable housing or to protect workers and everyone knows it. It’s strange for elected officials or labor union officials to be defending a program in which 99% of the developments have taken advantage of a loophole that requires zero affordable housing or good jobs.”
The statement goes on to tout Lander’s own labor endorsements, like from the building service workers.
Goldman has secured other labor endorsements — in some cases, sources say — because Lander issued a critical audit of a health care fund run by unions in his final days as comptroller deeming it “insolvent.”
Lander is expected to have busy final weeks on the campaign trail. Next week, he will rally with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive candidates backed by the mayor, like Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, at Kings Theater in Brooklyn.