ALBANY, N.Y. May 31, 2014 – New York State United Teachers' Board of Directors today backed the statewide re-election bids of state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The NYSUT board also issued early endorsements for state Sens. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, and Toby Stavisky, D-Queens, along with Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, and Jason Zove, a 26-year-old Commack resident who is challenging six-term incumbent Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick.
"There is no better friend to the working people of New York state than Comptroller DiNapoli," said NYSUT President Karen E. Magee. "He is a tireless champion of retirement security and an exemplar of financial stewardship." She praised Schneiderman for his stellar record as a state watchdog and for working hard on behalf of those represented by NYSUT - teachers, paraprofessionals, college and university faculty and professionals, nurses, retirees and others.
"In Assembly and Senate races, NYSUT is proud to back incumbents and challengers who understand, respect and support the vital work our members do every day on behalf of all New Yorkers," she added.
NYSUT Executive Vice President Andrew Pallotta said the union's endorsement carries significant weight. Not only does NYSUT make financial contributions from voluntary donations to help candidates defray the cost of campaigns, Pallotta said the union's extensive phone bank operation - staffed by volunteer political activists - will make hundreds of thousands of calls between now and Election Day. NYSUT volunteers will also hand out campaign literature, attend rallies and lead a get-out-the-vote effort at the grassroots level, he added.
"Simply put, it means feet on the street. NYSUT's endorsement translates into support from the largest union phone-bank operation in the state, and volunteers to attend rallies, hand out literature and go door to door on behalf of endorsed candidates," Pallotta said. "Our members work for - and vote for - those candidates who support the issues they care about, including maintaining quality public schools, colleges and hospitals."
NYSUT will consider endorsements in other races at its regular endorsement conference beginning August 11.
New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.
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