The big four unions — major players in the Working Families Party — also are considering endorsing as soon as next month, which would not bode well for de Blasio unless his poll numbers jump.
The reason is that the major unions are hoping to negotiate new and retroactive contracts with the next mayor and want to put their resources behind a candidate with a good shot at winning.
In the most recent Quinnipiac University poll, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn bested de Blasio, 32 percent to 14 percent, among Democrats, with Bill Thompson and John Liu getting 13 and 7, respectively.
“The union activists really dislike Chris [Quinn], but we have a much larger membership than that,” said one UFT source.
“There has to be some movement among the other three [candidates]. Somebody has got to emerge as a strong number two. I certainly haven’t seen it.”
Now I can understand why they wouldn't want to endorse a candidate with low poll numbers.
They're afraid that candidate won't win and it will play into the meme that the UFT only endorses losers (see 2001 when they everybody they endorsed lost.)
And I can understand why they want to tread lightly around Quinn.
She has a reputation for being vindictive, so there's no reason to piss her off before you absolutely have to.
They don't want to make her mad and then have to negotiate with her as mayor.
That said, if they endorse Quinn for mayor next month - yikes!
Her poll numbers have dropped five points in the last poll, the Anybody But Quinn movement is gaining steam and we are a long way off from the September primary.
Yet the "UFT source" in the Post article sounds like he/she is ready to give up the ghost on the primary as a matter of political expediency.
Nothing like the UFT political expediency, eh?
They need to hold off on the endorsements and let a few more months of the ABQ movement play out.
I heard on the radio yesterday her numbers are slipping, so the UFT would be wise to wait.
ReplyDeleteDid I just say the UFT would be wise?????? Like that would ever happen.
Ha! The word "wise" and the acronym "UFT" do not belong in the same sentence unless that sentence is "Showing again how unwise the UFT leadership is..."
DeleteAdditionally, the UFT leadership will not endorse anyone until a new UFT president is in place. If it's Mulgrew, then watch how the leadership will endorse Quinn in late May or early June when the rank-and-file can't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteIf the leadership endorses Quinn, it would be wise for all the members to scream R-E-C-A-L-L election!
I wonder how many of the rank and file are aware of how bad Quinn is? Quite frankly, enough of them are unaware of how bad Mulgrew is, it makes me wonder just what they know about politics at large as well.
DeleteHell, I know a few who voted for Bloomberg all three times, then complained about the Bloomberg reforms. Those people I always say to "Well, you get what you vote for!"
Didn't the UFT sit on its hands in 2009 instead of supporting Bill Thompson? How did Bloom berg reward them? They still have no contract. They should wise up.
ReplyDeleteAnd De Blasio is no friend of labor. He has promised to ask for pension and health benefit concessions of he's elected. The only labor candidates are John Liu and Bill Thompson.