On the heels of Senator Marty Golden’s upset loss of the AFL-CIO endorsement yesterday, the Republican state senator is out with a prominent labor endorsement of his own: Teamsters Joint Council 16.
“Senator Golden has proven that he will fight for working families,” the union’s president, George Miranda, said in a statement. “In these tough times, we need leaders we can count on to fight for every job and opportunity possible. That’s why Teamsters Joint Council 16 is pleased to endorse State Senator Marty Golden for re-election. He is effective, forthright and diligent.”
While the Joint Council 16 umbrella group isn’t the most influential union in city politics, their 120,000 members are a nice feather in Mr. Golden’s cap, especially as he has already been endorsed by the Hotel Trades Council, one of the most powerful unions thanks to their well-trained troops.
A labor source suggested the Teamsters endorsement might be due to Mr. Golden’s strong support for the reclassification of truck drivers, a top legislative priority for the union.
Mr. Golden is facing off against Democratic attorney Andrew Gounardes in November. In addition to the AFL-CIO, Mr. Gounardes has been endorsed by SEIU 32BJ and smaller trade unions.
Mr. Golden’s district gave President Barack Obama 48% of the vote in 2008, but changed some in redistricting. With incumbency and a sizable war chest, Mr. Golden stands as the favorite, but Democrats argue he hasn’t been seriously challenged in years and is more vulnerable than he appears.
