RWDSU Endorses Andrew Cuomo for NY State Attorney General (6/7/04)

The RWDSU has announced its support for Andrew Cuomo for New York State Attorney General. Pictured above (left to right) are Andrew Cuomo, RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum, and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo.

Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW, AFL-CIO, CLC, announced today that the union has endorsed Andrew Cuomo for New York State Attorney General.
Noting that the Office of Attorney General has been very instrumental in the struggle for social and economic justice for working men and women throughout New York State, Appelbaum said, “The union is endorsing Andrew Cuomo because New York’s working families need someone in that position who will champion their needs.
“The Attorney General’s office is very important for the members of the RWDSU. In the past we have worked closely with the state’s chief prosecutor to protect the rights of some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers. When mergers creating one corporate parent company for Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s threatened department store workers, the Attorney General’s office stepped in and made sure that workers did not pay the price for corporate wheeling and dealing. We fought side by side with Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to bring justice and a decent living wage to supermarket deliverymen, some of whom were being paid as little as $1.10 an hour.
“In Andrew Cuomo, we have the opportunity to help elect someone who will build on this legacy of a proactive, pro-worker, and outspoken Attorney General’s office. Someone with the experience necessary to lead and the passion and commitment to stand up and speak out for what is right,” Appelbaum said applauding Cuomo’s track record as Secretary for Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton.
Andrew Cuomo thanked Stuart Appelbaum for the union’s endorsement calling it “a special honor.” Calling Stuart Appelbaum and the RWDSU “a leading progressive force in the labor movement.” Cuomo added that “the RWDSU is an outspoken advocate for the rights of immigrants and their aggressive organizing campaigns