Republican Rep. Mike Lawler has collected 20 union endorsements in his dogged election race in opposition to Democrat Cait Conley — as labor is considered as key to successful in one of many state’s final swing districts.
Lawler, a two-term Congress member, and army veteran Conley are jockeying for assist within the seventeenth congressional district, the place a whopping one-third of residents reside in a union family.
However the query is whether or not unions will truly put their muscle behind the endorsements to assist flip the assist into votes, mentioned Joshua Freeman, a labor historian and professor emeritus on the CUNY Graduate Heart.
“It’s not so easy, Freeman mentioned. “It is dependent upon what actions the unions takes. A union can assist mobilize members to vote for a candidate with cellphone banks,” Freeman mentioned.
The seventeenth District, which incorporates Rockland County and parts of Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, is a goal to flip for Democrats as they struggle to regain management of the Home in November’s midterm elections.
The seat has the potential to find out which celebration controls Congress heading into 2027.
Military vet Conley boasts the backing of the two.5 million New York State AFL-CIO, New York State United Lecturers, well being care staff union 1199 SEIU, Civil Service Staff Affiliation, Communication Employees of America, Retail, Wholesale and Division Retailer Union, and Theatrical Stage Staff Native One.
However Lawler introduced that 20 unions are backing his powerful re-election bid, together with many AFL-CIO associates breaking away from the umbrella group’s endorsement of Conley.
They embrace the Transport Employees Union, Teamsters locals, a community of building commerce unions and maritime staff.
The Lawler camp mentioned he has the assist of extra unions than two years in the past. Politico Playbook lately reported that the Home consultant had netted 17 labor endorsements throughout his 2024 marketing campaign.
“I’m deeply honored to have the endorsements of a broad coalition of labor unions representing the women and men who construct our roads and buildings, ship our packages, run our trains, crew our ships, transfer our mail, maintain our communities protected, and maintain the federal government working,” Lawler mentioned.
“I’ll by no means cease preventing for the employees who’re the spine of the Hudson Valley economic system, and I’ll work day by day to maintain their assist and their respect.”
Many unions lean towards Democrats, however union leaders backing Lawler mentioned he’s been pro-labor.
“We endorsed Lawler as a result of he has a 90% voting document with us,” mentioned TWU Worldwide President John Samuelsen. “We have now a historical past of supporting incumbents who’ve a robust document with us.”
The TWU represents airline, railroad and transit staff within the area.
“Lawler has whipped Republican votes for us on floor transportation payments and now we have a relationship with him,” Samuelsen mentioned.
Different transportation-related unions have endorsed Lawler, together with the New York Teamsters Joint Council, Teamsters Native 456, SMART Transportation Division, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS).
Sean O’Brien, president of the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters, will quickly come to the district to stump with Lawler, his marketing campaign mentioned.
Lawler additionally has the formal endorsements of 11 regulation enforcement unions and different police organizations protecting state and native police departments.
Conley’s marketing campaign mentioned the unions endorsing her symbolize a majority of labor households within the district, and claimed that Lawler has an anti-labor document — pointing to his 23 lifetime rating with the AFL-CIO on labor points taking anti-labor positions on greater than a dozen payments.
“Whether or not he’s voting to permit Donald Trump to strip unions of their tax-free standing and make it simpler for him to overturn employee protections or he’s refusing to co-sponsor the PRO Act to defend the best to arrange, Mike Lawler is not any pal to organized labor and dealing households,” mentioned Conley spokesperson Maddy Rosen.
“It’s no marvel he has a 23% lifetime rating from the AFL-CIO, who’s backing Cait Conley on this race. From healthcare staff to academics to retail staff and extra, Cait is proud to be supported by so many hardworking women and men, whom she’s going to struggle for day by day in Congress.”
