Working for labor’s endorsement

Sep 03, 2024

By Nick Reisman, Jeff Coltin and Emily Ngo

John Samuelsen.

John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union International, has backed GOP candidates he feels would work for his members. | Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

Transport Workers Union International president John Samuelsen wants a Democratic-led House.

But that hasn’t stopped his union from endorsing swing-seat Republicans who he believes have been on the right side of issues impacting the union, which represents transit, airline and rail workers.

Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro is locked in a tight general election challenge in the Hudson Valley — a race that could determine control of the House. Samuelsen’s union endorsed Molinaro last week.

Even for a labor leader in the hard-charging world of union politics, Samuelsen doesn’t mince words.

He’s willing to embrace Republicans who have been good to labor.

“We need bipartisan support, and Molinaro and (Rep. Mike) Lawler and other Republicans have gotten behind our issues and they’ve supported our transport workers,” Samuelsen told Playbook. “They’ve been particularly effective — both supporting our issues and blocking right-wing Republican initiatives to harm workers.”

It’s an approach many labor leaders and their unions do not take.

In New York, one of the most unionized states in the country, labor leaders have been closely aligned with Democrats.

And powerful unions like 1199SEIU, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and the United Federation of Teachers have been pillars of support for the party.

Samuelsen acknowledges his union has business before a closely divided Congress.

“I want Hakeem Jeffries to take back the House. I’m a strong supporter of Hakeem Jeffries,” he said. “But I’m not going to throw transport workers under the bus.”

Nationally, labor leaders have been courted by former President Donald Trump, who has banked on expanding his support among working-class people — presenting a challenge for Vice President Kamala Harris.

It can also create problems within labor.

Teamsters president Sean O’Brien in July addressed the Republican National Convention with a speech that created some backlash for him among the rank and file.

An acerbic critic of Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Samuelsen believes both parties, at their core, are not set up to help working people.

“The institutions of the Democratic Party and Republican Party are not allies of working people,” he said. “They both take their donations from corporate America. There’s very little difference, institutionally, between them.”

Perhaps sensing that there are indeed differences between both parties, especially on broad-based labor policy, Samuelsen later in the conversation recalibrated.

But he nevertheless also acknowledged he’s more than willing to back Republicans when they’re helpful.

“The Democrats are certainly more philosophically in line with working people than the Republican Party,” he said. “But there are individual Republicans who are strong supporters of working people and the trade union movement.”

And Samuelsen expects his union in particular will have a key role to play as the presidential campaign enters its final months: TWU America includes members in states like Pennsylvania, a swing state considered crucial for both Trump and Harris.

“We will play a role in getting out the vote,” Samuelsen said. “This comes down to swing states, organized labor’s role is to target swing states where we have sufficient density.” — Nick Reisman

IT’S TUESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

WHERE’S KATHY? Conducts an interview with NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

WHERE’S ERIC? Hosts his weekly off-topic news conference.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We think this jazzes up our voters, too. We have every desire to talk about this and explain what we believe it does.” — New York Conservative Party chair Gerard Kassar on the “equality amendment” on the ballot that some Democrats fear is faltering ahead of November, POLITICO’s Nick Reisman reports.

ABOVE THE FOLD

Kathy Hochul attends the West Indian Day Parade.

Gov. Kathy Hochul was among the many elected officials at the West Indian Day Parade. | Gov. Kathy Hochul's office

POLS HIT THE PARADE ROUTE: New York’s biggest political players were out in full force along the West Indian Day Parade route and, per tradition, were also smushed together under a tennis court tent before kicking off the procession.

“God bless this parade. God bless Brooklyn. And God bless the first Caribbean American ancestry person to become president of the United States of America!” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at the politically star-studded event.

The breakfast, which preceded the actual parade, was a chance for Schumer and others to laud the part-Jamaican presidential nominee.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Hochul, Attorney General Tish James, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and many, many more local pols spoke and hobnobbed at the breakfast, which was festooned with lots and lots of Caribbean flags.

“This is not a political event so I can’t tell you who to vote for, but I can tell you we must vote this November,” said state Sen. Zellnor Myrie in a totally not political speech. “I proudly represent the district that you are standing in right now and where I was born and raised. I have served, I believe, with dignity and honor in the State Senate.”

Noticeably absent from the power players’ breakfast was Mayor Eric Adams, whose red-dress companion was made to stand idly by until his delayed arrival. (Adams did not speak at the breakfast, and missed the parade ribbon cutting he was scheduled for.)

“The comptroller's race has never been so hot," Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar told Playbook.

She then balked at the suggestion that, as comptroller, she’d have to work with anyone other than Mayor Adams.

”He’ll get reelected,” Rajkumar said firmly.

Other city comptroller candidates such as newly filed state Sen. Kevin Parker and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine were also there. And current comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander made an appearance as well. (Expected mayoral contenders Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and former Comptroller Scott Stringer were not seen at the breakfast.)

Adams did eventually arrive to the parade — but before the celebration was subjected to another incident of violence, where five people were shot.

Meanwhile, Lander sidestepped a question from Playbook about how he’d assess Hochul’s performance as governor.

“For today we’re going to celebrate the West Indian Day parade,” he responded. — Jason Beeferman

CITY HALL: THE LATEST

Matt Fraser speaks at a news conference.

NYC tech officer Matthew Fraser didn't list investments or retirement funds in his financial disclosure. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

SHOW ME THE MONEY: New York City’s chief tech officer Matthew Fraser did not list a single investment, retirement account or pension plan in his financial disclosure form — raising questions about whether he filled out the Conflicts of Interest Board form truthfully.

Fraser’s Office of Technology and Innovation didn’t respond to a request to explain his 2023 form, but it would be exceedingly uncommon for somebody who has worked in city government for two decades, like Fraser, to not have a deferred compensation plan. COIB rules say any beneficial interests of $1,000 or more must be reported.

Fraser has a say in millions of dollars of tech contracts, and watchdogs rely on self-reporting to review potential conflicts. Fraser’s disclosure was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. His disclosure for 2022 was also bare of any investments or pension plan.

“Every employee is expected to accurately fill out their disclosure forms,” City Hall spokesperson Amaris Cockfield said in a statement. “If anyone needs to amend their form in some way, they have the opportunity to do so.”

Fraser did report between $7,100 and $67,000 in gifts from city contractors, mostly in free tickets to tech conferences.

Adams aide Winnie Greco also did not report a single investment or retirement fund in her disclosure. Greco’s homes were raided this year in a federal investigation reportedly involving Adams’ campaign finances. — Jeff Coltin

GET OUTTA TOWN: Summer’s over, but Mark Levine wants his fellow Manhattan Dems to keep leaving for the Hamptons, Hudson Valley and the Poconos.

Levine is launching a new “Let’s Go Dems” campaign, and encouraging them to hop on bus rides out of the city to knock doors, or join a phone bank at home, with opportunities listed on the website.

“We’re two hours from Pennsylvania, the most important swing state in the race, and control of Congress is going to be decided by five districts near New York City,” Levine, who’s running for comptroller next year, told Playbook.

Let’s Go Dems is kicking off with a rally in Verdi Square on the Upper West Side this Sunday the 8th, with a who’s-who of New York Dems joining, including the governor and AG. It echoes Levine’s “Wake Up Dems” campaign from 2022.

“I don’t feel as concerned as I did two months ago about Democrats in general being asleep,” Levine said about the presidential race. “This is still a neck-and-neck race, and New York has a role here, and can influence the results.” — Jeff Coltin

More from the city:

— All new taxicabs in New York City must be wheelchair-accessible to comply with a requirement that half of the fleet accommodate disabled passengers, a federal judge ruled. (Gothamist)

— Lander has launched a new tool to track the city’s unscrupulous employers, the Employer Violations Dashboard. (Documented)

— On Randall’s Island, there’s a growing divide between sheltered migrants and long-time New Yorkers. (Gothamist)

NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli talks.

State lawmakers are concerned about a rise in hate crimes, including as tracked by the state comptroller's office. | Mike Groll/AP

COMBATING HATE: The number of reported hate crimes have sharply increased in the state between 2019 and 2023, and state lawmakers are worried measures meant to address the problem won’t have a noticeable impact for years.

DiNapoli’s office last week reported a surge in hate crimes, finding there was a 69 percent increase during a five-year period — a rise that coincided with the societal disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were 1,089 reported instances of hate crimes in 2023, a 69 percent increase from the amount reported in 2019.

“The report was not surprising,” Democratic Assemblymember John McDonald told Playbook. “The rise in hate crimes reflects the rise in vitriol that has unfortunately encompassed our country for the last decade. Hopefully people will start to learn to talk to each other rather than yelling and screaming and hating each other.”

Hochul and New York lawmakers this year agreed to a package of measures that will add dozens of new hate crimes charges. The agreement came on top of added spending meant to address the issue.

Some lawmakers believe more work is needed.

Assemblymember Nily Rozic was alarmed that many of the hate crimes targeted Jewish people.

“We as legislators can pass a lot of different bills, but if you’re not on the ground enforcing you’re not going to see much change in behavior,” she said, adding, “I think that will inform next year’s legislative session and any potential legislation addressing the alarming rate of hate crimes.” — Nick Reisman

More from Albany:

— New York has distributed more than 20 million drug test strips, but advocates want officials to do more to address overdose deaths. (Times Union)

— Increased penalties for passing a stopped school bus are under consideration. (Spectrum News)

— The MTA’s free bus pilot for one line in each borough that was funded by the state Legislature came to an end Sunday. (Gothamist)

KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION

— The Anthony D’Esposito-Laura Gillen rematch is an opportunity for Dems on Long Island after getting trounced in three election cycles. (New York Post)

— Blue states New York and California have become unlikely focal points in the fight for control of the House. (New York Times)

— A probe commissioned by the Democrat-led State Senate into accusations that House candidate John Mannion created a hostile work environment ended quietly without reprimand. (New York Times)

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

— New Yorkers gathered in Manhattan for a vigil mourning the six Israeli hostages whose bodies were found in Gaza over the weekend. (Times of Israel)

— Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg says his office’s Neighborhood Navigators initiative prevents people whose circumstances often land them on the wrong side of the law from ever making it to court. (Daily News)

— A spoof article about supposed congestion pricing in the Hamptons had some readers believing it was sincere and flooding the governor’s office with angry calls. (New York Post)

SOCIAL DATA

Edited by Daniel Lippman

IN MEMORIAM: Andrew Schwartz, a longtime lawyer in New York City government who retired as deputy commissioner in the Department of Small Business Services, died Thursday. (NYC.gov)

WEDDING: Ashley Bahnken, who leads brand growth intelligence at Tom Ford and is a New Yorker and Bloomberg alum, recently married Enrico Bueno Leite, an attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. The couple met in D.C. in the summer of 2020 after grad school at Georgetown. They had already graduated, and they quickly realized they were starting jobs in the same building in NYC a few months later. Pic … More details in Vogue

MEDIAWATCH: POLITICO New York’s Katelyn Cordero is now covering health care, after two years on the education beat. Send her scoops at KCordero@politico.com … Christian Falcone has joined the New York Post as an editor … Ben Feuerherd is joining NY1 as a producer. He was previously with The Messenger, and helped cover the Manhattan Trump trial for POLITICO.

MAKING MOVES: Lauren Bale, former communications director for Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, has joined SKDK … NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper is retiring to join the MTA (amNewYork) … Lisa Hansmann is now principal at Engine Ventures. She is also a senior adviser at MIT and is a Biden White House alum. … Sandra A. Hudak has been promoted to be partner at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, while Matthew S. De La Torre, Caitlin Delaney and Edwin M. Hernández-García have been promoted to counsel. … Diana Wierbicki and Amanda Rottermund have joined the art and cultural property department of Loeb & Loeb in the firm’s New York office as partners. … Karl Riehl is now chief legal talent and practice management officer at Armstrong Teasdale in New York. He most recently was director of practice management at Epstein Becker and Green … Haylie Reichner is now global PR manager at Feld Entertainment. She most recently was a publicist at MSNBC … Justin Solar is now a VP for entertainment at 42West. He most recently was a VP at Rogers & Cowan PMK.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Connie Chung is headlining two events in New York this month for the launch of her memoir “Connie” — on Sept. 17, she and Walter Isaacson are doing an event at the New York Public Library and she and Andy Cohen are doing one at Symphony Space on Sept. 30.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Risa Heller Communications’ John DeSio … Fred Dixon … Brian Stelter … Edward Felsenthal … WSJ’s Kristina Peterson … Rick Perlstein … CBS’ Erica Brown … NBC’s Adam Reiss … Teresa Davis … former Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) … Richard Kirby … (WAS MONDAY): State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins … Andrea Shapiro Davis … City & State’s Rebecca C. Lewis … (WAS SUNDAY): NYC Mayor Eric Adams … Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar … (WAS SATURDAY): Rep. Tom Suozzi … NYC Council Member Darlene Mealy …

(WAS AUG. 30): NYC Council Member Inna Vernikov … Assemblymember Nader Sayegh … (WAS AUG. 28): NYC Council Member David Carr … (WAS AUG. 27): Gov. Kathy Hochul … Assemblymember Gary Pretlow … (WAS AUG. 26): DTF’s Darren Dopp … The New Republic’s Grace Segers … state Sen. Jamaal Bailey.