PEP, September 2008: Silver shines for labor

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

A spirited New York labor coalition kicked off the campaign to re-elect 23-year incumbent state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver at DC 37 July 15.

The diverse crowd wore red T-shirts that said, “I am labor and I vote!” They came from the Lower East Side, Battery Park City, TriBeCa and South Street communities in Silver’s Lower Manhattan 64th District. They represented over 8,000 union members in the district who are expected to vote overwhelmingly for Silver in the three-way race on Primary Day, Sept. 9.

“We can’t thank Shelly Silver enough for the leadership, wisdom and tenacity he showed on behalf of our union and Local 2021 members,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “He worked with Governor David Paterson and Senator Joe Bruno to save 1,500 jobs at OTB andretain $120 million in state revenue. We can always count on him to do the right thing — and the state takeover of OTB was the right thing to do!”

“This is a great night for all of labor,” said Denis Hughes, president of the New York State AFL-CIO, which sponsored the rally. “We’re here to launch labor’s campaign to re-elect a fair-minded, progressive political leader who supports unions and working people.”

“Labor has no greater friend than Shelly Silver,” said OTB Local 2021 President Lenny Allen, who chairs DC 37’s Political Action Committee. Allen presented Silver with a humanitarian award for his victorious effort to save the OTB workers from layoffs. “Shelly promised me he wouldn’t let it happen and he kept his word,” Allen said. “He did not let us lose our jobs and we won’t let him lose his!”

Silver has a longstanding record of supporting working people. He backed the Campaign for Fiscal Equity that brought billions of dollars to city school children, fights for stronger rent laws and affordable housing, and fought “to restore our Lower Manhattan community to normalcy after the terrorist attacks and to protect our neighborhoods from greedy commercial developers,” said Joel Cyzynski of Teamsters Local 237.
“Shelly Silver helped get money for our schools and senior programs,” said Elizabeth Cruz, a retired Local 372 Crossing Guard. “He is a true friend of labor.”

Labor power
“We have achieved much for working people downtown and statewide,” Silver said. “We have faced years of misguided Republican policies from the two Georges — Bush and Pataki — fought to protect progressive policies, saved union jobs at Pathmark and OTB, raised the minimum wage, improved Workers Comp and protected pensions and retirement benefits for thousands.”

“We have a lot of work to do,” said Central Labor Council Executive Director Ed Ott. “Union members can determine the outcome in this district. The single most important demonstration of working people’s power is our vote.”