Public Employee Press

Union backs
Spitzer/Paterson

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

The union’s Delegates Council voted unanimously May 23 to endorse state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for governor of New York in the Democratic primary election in September. The endorsement by DC 37’s highest governing body came on the heels of unanimous recommendations by the Screening Committee and Executive Board.

“We endorsed Attorney General Spitzer because he is by far the best candidate. He cares about the issues that are important to this union,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “We believe he will best represent the interests of the public employees and working people of our state. With our endorsement comes a pledge to work diligently to get out the vote on his behalf with our powerful, sophisticated field operation. This union has a proven record of successfully supporting our endorsed candidates.”

Social justice and values
In accepting the union’s support, Attorney General Spitzer appeared before the DC 37 delegates and said, “I thank you for the honor of receiving this endorsement. Your endorsement means an enormous amount to me, to the people of this city and to the people of the state of New York.Together we will turn around the culture of this state.” Spitzer’s running mate for lieutenant governor is David A. Paterson, the State Senate Minority Leader.

In the eight years he has served as state Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer successfully accomplished what some viewed as impossible. He sued huge investment banks, insurance companies and corporations whose CEOs had defrauded thousands of New Yorkers of millions of dollars in pensions and investments — and won.

“I used the law for social justice, to equallyenforce the rules so that people, no matter how powerful they are, can be held accountable when they break the law and people, no matter how powerless they may think they are, can get the benefit of the laws that we have passed,” Spitzer said.

“The values you stand up for matter, being able and willing to stand up to powerful interests makes a difference, being willing to fight and even lose if you think you’re right makes a difference. And coming back to say to the people you’re representing, ‘I am on your side,’ makes a difference,” said Spitzer.

The Democratic candidate for governor stands with DC 37 on issues such as education, health care and Workers’ Compensation reform, that are critical to the jobs and services provided by the union’s 121,000 members.

A friend of labor
As governor, Spitzer said he would improve the state economy and attract industries and jobs by reducing property taxes, energy prices and health care costs. Spitzer also supports a speedy resolution to the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, which would increase funding for quality education for New York City’s 1.1 million public school children.

He called for the state to “fundamentally rethink the way health care is delivered so we can both improve quality and contain costs.” He would reform New York’s health care system to provide better technology for tracking cases, reduce prescription drug costs and improve management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, hypertension and HIV/AIDS.

DC 37 was one of the first labor organizations to support Eliot Spitzer when he ran for Attorney General eight years ago and it is the largest municipal labor union to support him for governor thus far.

Pledging to give him the union’s powerhouse Green Machine of volunteers and field support, which will be needed to win the Sept. 12 primary, Roberts said, “We are proud to do everything we can to see that our friend Eliot Spitzer becomes the next governor of New York State.”