Powerful NYC labor coalition plans to pour $1 million into City Council races, backing Council Speaker for next term

A coalition of five powerful labor unions plans to spend more than $1 million to re-elect Democratic City Council members facing challenges in this year’s primary and general elections, the Daily News has learned.

The Labor Strong coalition — which is comprised of DC37, 32BJ, the New York State Nurses Association, the Communications Workers of America and the Hotel Trades Council — has already decided to put some of that funding behind Council members Justin Brannan, Marjorie Velazquez, Kevin Riley, Pierina Sanchez, Lynn Schulman and Linda Lee.

It will also back Council Speaker Adrienne Adams in both her re-election bid for her Queens Council seat as well as her attempt to remain on as speaker, according to sources with knowledge of the coalition’s plans.

“Our unions are incredibly proud to reconvene Labor Strong this year after successfully supporting a majority of council candidates as well as Adrienne Adams’ candidacy for Speaker in 2021,” the group said in a statement to The News. “Collectively, we represent hundreds of thousands of workers and our endorsed candidates can expect to see an aggressive showing of political might which we’re confident will deliver clear outcomes in these races.”

With the exception of Adams and Riley, who represents a northern Bronx district, all of those candidates will be facing Republican challengers in the general election and represent districts that are vulnerable from the right.

Riley is facing a challenge from former Councilman Andy King, a Democrat who was expelled from the Council in 2020 over misconduct complaints.

The labor group will function as an independent expenditure PAC and will be required to disclose spending and revenue data under city campaign finance law.

It is not entirely clear yet who else Labor Strong will back or withhold support from, but two Council members unlikely to get a nod include Kristen Richardson Jordan of Harlem and Julie Won of Queens.

Richardson Jordan was instrumental in blocking a development on 145th St. that labor leaders see as a potential boon when it comes to job creation. Won also angered union leaders when she resisted the Innovation Queens development in Astoria, but has since warmed to the deal moving forward.

In order for a candidate to get Labor Strong’s backing, they’d need unanimous support from all five unions within the coalition. And a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The News that Richardson Jordan and Won “will not meet that bar.”