Two of the city’s most powerful unions, which endorsed Mayor Eric Adams in 2021, are instead supporting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the 2025 NYC mayor’s race, his campaign announced on Monday.
The support of the two unions, 32BJ SEIU and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council (HTC), which represent building service and hospitality industry workers, respectively, is highly sought after among local candidates each election cycle. The endorsements from the two unions help solidify Cuomo’s status as the clear frontrunner in the crowded Democratic primary race.
Both labor groups were the latest members of Adams’ successful 2021 Democratic primary coalition to pivot to Cuomo. Adams is no longer seeking the Democratic nomination, opting instead to run as an independent in the general election.
Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, said his 85,000-member union is backing Cuomo because he stood up for them during his governorship and is best positioned to fend off the Trump administration’s all-out assault on the five boroughs.
“Andrew Cuomo is equipped to stand up to attacks on our city that threaten our finances, our jobs, our public transportation, our healthcare, our Social Security and our rights,” Pastreich said in a statement. “He has concrete plans to address our housing and healthcare affordability crises as mayor and as governor showed he knows how to deliver for working people.”
HTC President Rich Maroko expressed similar sentiments in a statement. He cited what he described as Cuomo’s record of supporting his union’s 40,000 members as governor — saying it is important to have a mayor who understands its members’ issues as it heads into a new round of contract negotiations with the city.
“Now, especially as our union approaches a renegotiation of our citywide hotel contract that will determine the livelihoods of our members and their families for the next decade, we need a leader who understands what’s at stake and will have our backs through it all,” Maroko said. “As Andrew Cuomo said when he recently addressed our members, when we need him in a fight, he will be in the foxhole with us until the end.”
Maroko was one of many labor leaders to call for Cuomo’s ouster after state Attorney General Letitia James published a report in 2021 finding that he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo resigned and stepped away from politics for the past three years, but he denies the report and the allegations within it.
Notably, Cuomo’s campaign mispelled the names of both union bosses in its Monday press release announcing the endorsements. They referred to Pastreich as “Patreich” and Maroko as “Baroko.”
Nevertheless, Cuomo’s mayoral bid has already nabbed the support of other prominent labor unions and politicians. His backers include the District Council of Carpenters; the chairs of the Brooklyn and Queens Democratic Parties, Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn) and US Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens), respectively; and US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx).
The former governor has also dominated the rest of the field in the polls and has raised roughly $1.5 million.
One of Cuomo’s rivals, city Comptroller Brad Lander, did not appear to be losing too much sleep over his latest labor endorsements on Monday. Instead, appeared to blast both groups for defecting to Cuomo after previously supporting the current mayor.
“Institutions whose leaders choose to support abusive egomaniacs with track records of putting New Yorkers’ lives at risk for their own ego and glory shouldn’t be surprised if they wind up supporting people who are abusive egomaniacs who put New Yorkers’ lives at risk for their own ego and glory,” Lander said.
