Service employees union backs Suozzi

Noah Manskar

Democratic congressional candidate Tom Suozzi won support from a fourth labor group last week when Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union endorsed him in the 3rd District race.

“Tom Suozzi has a track record of fighting for working families on Long Island and will fight for them in Congress,” 32BJ President Hector Figueroa said in a statement last Friday. “Our members were impressed by his commitment to protecting workers’ rights and creating more good jobs with good benefits that working families need in Queens, Long Island and across our country.”

The New York City-based union chapter backed the former Nassau County executive to represent the North Shore district stretching from Whitestone, Queens, to Kings Park after screening all candidates on key issues, Suozzi’s campaign said in a statement.

Local 32BJ is the largest property workers’ union in the U.S., representing more than 120,000 cleaners, maintenance workers, security officers, doormen, drivers and food service workers.

A Local 32BJ political committee gave $3,000 to Suozzi’s 2013 county executive campaign, state campaign finance records show.

“It is an absolute honor to be endorsed by the members of 32BJ and they know that throughout my career I have fought the status quo to solve problems and get things done for working families,” Suozzi said in a statement.

Suozzi has received endorsements from three other labor unions, his campaign said: Westbury-based United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500, Patchogue-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 589 and International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.

Suozzi faces Jericho attorney Jonathan Clarke, former North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan and Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern in a June 28 primary for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District.

Records show Local 32BJ SEIU contributed to Kaiman’s 2007 town supervisor campaign and Kaplan’s 2015 Town Board campaign.

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