TWU Scores Big Wins on Election Day
TWU Local 100 and New York statewide labor movement scored big wins on Election Day, with the biggest being the successful campaign to defeat Ballot Proposal #1, the New York State Constitutional Convention, or ConCon. TWU Local 100 President Tony Utano had made defeating the ConCon proposition the union’s number one election day target.
After the announcement that New York voters had rejected the proposition in landslide fashion, Utano credited a strong grass roots effort by TWU and many other unions for the strong performance. “As little as a month ago, polls showed that ConCon had a good chance to pass. Our members and activists, and the entire labor movement deserve a lot of credit for turning it around into a huge victory for the security of our pensions, contracts, Workers Compensation and much more.” The stunning turnaround was reflected in the final vote – 78 percent voting no, and only 22 percent voting yes.
Other big wins for Local 100 include:
Westchester County Executive’s Race – TWU’s endorsed candidate , Democrat George Latimer, handily defeated two-term incumbent Rob Astorino. Local 100 put forth a big effort to dump Astorino, who has opposed a key piece of County legislation that would grant earned paid sick days for County workers, including School Bus employees and workers at Liberty Lines Transportation.
Yonkers City Council President – TWU Local 100 pushed hard to defeat incumbent Yonkers City Council President Liam McLaughlin. Our candidate,Democrat Mike Khader, won a tight contest, and credited his victory in big part to the help of TWU and our activists. We now have the County Executive and Yonkers City Council leadership in union friendly hands.
City Council District 43 – In one of the tightest races in the City, our endorsed candidate for the 43 City Council District, Justin Brannan, defeated his Republican opponent, John Quaglione, by less than 900 votes. The two were running to replace outgoing Councilmember Vincent Gentile (D), who is term-limited, for a seat that encompasses the southern Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, and parts of Bensonhurst, neighborhoods with a heavy Local 100 presence. Brannan will be a solid vote for union-friendly and transit friendly measures on the City Council.
Westchester County 16th District TWU’s endorsed candidate Christopher Johnson won his race in the 16th District of the Westchester Board of County Legislators. Johnson is a strong community activist and supports us on the earned paid sick days campaign, as well as other issues concerning our School Bus properties and Liberty Lines.