ALBANY—New York's largest teachers' union announced early endorsements in the races for state attorney general and comptroller, but Governor Andrew Cuomo will have to wait until August to see if educators will back him in November.
Karen Magee, president of New York State United Teachers, told Capital on Monday that “nothing has changed” since she was elected in early April, and that there wasn't much appetite for a Cuomo endorsement.
“We're a grassroots movement,” Magee said, adding that the early endorsements for incumbent Democrats Eric Schneiderman and Tom DiNapoli “came up through the rank and file.”
While she called those endorsements “no brainers” and “pretty obvious,” members aren't so inclined to embrace Cuomo.
“I haven't gotten any calls or any e-mails to that effect, but again … the endorsement process for the governor will happen at the August endorsement conference," she said. "The local presidents will travel to Albany, they will have the pulse of their membership, and they will hammer out the endorsement.”
It doesn't matter whether NYSUT endorses Cuomo or not because the real union support for Cuomo was shown last week when union leaders threatened to tear apart the Working Families Party and cut off funding if the party did not place Cuomo on the WFP ballot line.
Whether NYSUT or the UFT endorse Cuomo at this point is immaterial because he got what he needed out of the unions last week in the Working Families Party melodrama.
It's funny to hear Magee refer to NYSUT as a grassroots movement. Last week, when questioned by local presidents on why she was a no show at the anti-Cuomo rallies and the Taking Back Our Schools rally she told them it was because those were grassroots rallies and she wasn't invited.
ReplyDeleteThough Cuomo doesn't care about NYSUT's endorsement, he would like that of the AFL-CIO, which he cannot get unless NYSUT votes yes or remains neutral. Expect NYSUT to remain neutral in an attempt to both mollify members AND clear the way for an AFL-CIO endorsement of Cuomo.
ReplyDeleteIt will be very telling sleaze if they don't openly push for an endorsement, because it would confirm what you wrote about the UFT already accomplishing their goal via their patent threats to wreck the WFP unless they support Cuomo as they dictated last Saturday.
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn't NSUT/UFT endorse Cuomo? He is helping them screw teachers and advance the corporate agenda.
ReplyDeleteSure Magee you're a "grassroots movement". Sure you care about the members. Just like King Louis of France cared about his people.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk47saogI8o