Two of City's Largest Unions, 1199 SEIU and SEIU Local 32BJ Endorse Cy Vance for Manhattan DA

CONTACT:
Erin Duggan
Cy Vance for Manhattan DA
(646) 248-4370
eduggan@cyvanceforda.com [1]

1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and SEIU Local 32BJ today announced their joint support for Cy Vance, Democratic candidate for Manhattan District Attorney. 1199 and 32BJ are, respectively, the largest healthcare and property service workers unions in the country. These unions have a major impact on New York City elections and are strong advocates on the local and national stage for healthcare reform, worker protections, immigrants’ rights, and a host of progressive causes. 1199 President George Gresham cited Vance’s Community-Based Justice Model, progressive vision, and commitment to equality as reasons for the endorsement.

“Cy Vance is a remarkable leader with the broad experience and commitment to justice that we need in the next Manhattan DA,” said George Gresham, President of 1199. “He will fight to keep our streets safe and our justice system fair. I am particularly impressed with Cy’s experience on both sides of the courtroom, which gives him the insight in both building complex cases while protecting the innocent. His emphasis on crime prevention, including alternatives to incarceration particularly for first-time non-violent offenders and juveniles, will have a broad impact on our community for generations to come. We will mobilize our members and doing everything we can to make sure that Cy Vance wins this race.”

32BJ President Mike Fishman agreed, saying, “Too often, the justice system turns a blind eye to the needs of the people who clean our schools and offices, who drive our buses, who protect our buildings. He will protect immigrants from fraud and make sure they feel safe reporting crimes. He will prosecute unscrupulous employers who abuse workers, steal their wages, or violate workplace safety standards. And he will come to our communities – whether those communities are East Harlem or the Lower East Side, Washington Heights or Washington Square Park – and make sure that prosecutors are working with us to prevent crime and to keep us safe. He is the right person for the job, and that is why we are wholeheartedly endorsing Cy Vance for Manhattan DA.”

“This is a significant day for this campaign,” said Vance. “I am so proud to have the backing of both 1199 and 32BJ. They have accomplished an incredible amount on the local, state, and national level in their storied histories. 1199’s leaders are at the forefront of the vital issue of healthcare reform. Martin Luther King Jr. famously described 1199 SEIU as his favorite union, and I’m proud to have its support today. 32BJ reminds us why unions have changed the way labor exists in the U.S., and how powerful the workers voices are when they speak in unison. Many of the workers in 32BJ are immigrants, and they are particularly vulnerable to employer abuse and unsafe working conditions. That is why the DA’s Office must always be there, to make sure that all workers, and all New Yorkers, receive fair treatment and can feel safe in their workplaces. I thank both unions for their support, and I will strive to keep your passion for fairness and your commitment to progressive values in mind in everything I do.”

1199 SEIU represents over 250,000 healthcare workers in New York City, including nurses, hospital workers, nursing home workers, homecare workers, and many others. It also represents over 500 paralegals, support staff and social workers at the Legal Aid Society who work hard to ensure fair representation in the criminal justice system.

32BJ represents more than 110,000 office cleaners, security officers, doormen, porters, bus drivers, school cleaners, and food service workers. Its members work in residential buildings, commercial offices, airports, university and college campuses, public schools, theaters, museums arenas and stadiums. They come from 64 different countries and speak 28 different languages, but are united in a single fight for fairness and decency.

The two unions join a strong and diverse coalition of supporters of Cy Vance’s campaign for DA. In the last month Vance has been endorsed by the New York Times, the Daily News, the New York Post, the Amsterdam News, El Diario, the New York Observer, Crain’s, U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, Borough President Scott Stringer, State Senator Tom Duane, Councilmember Jessica Lappin, Councilmember Inez Dickens, UFT, RWDSU, Tenants PAC, the League of Young Voters PAC and the Innocence Project Co-Founders Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld. Earlier this summer Vance was endorsed by current District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, former Mayor David Dinkins, Caroline Kennedy, Gloria Steinem, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Council Member Alan Gerson, former Comptroller H. Carl McCall, Teamsters Local 237, The Sergeants Benevolent Association, former U.S. Attorneys Robert Fiske and Zachary Carter, the Doe Fund founder George McDonald, and many more. He is also supported by more than 175 former ADA’s – many of whom have worked with all three candidates and know what it takes to be an exemplary District Attorney.