ATU President John Costa has announced ATU’s endorsement of Governor Andrew Cuomo for Mayor of New York City. In a room packed on Saturday September 27th, with members from ATU Locals 726-Staten Island, 1056-Flushing, 1179-Queens, 1181-New York, and Locals across New Jersey, Costa fired up the crowd.
“Safety for our members and riders has been a problem, along with other issues. At the ATU, we know who the right person is to address these challenges and lead this great city. That person is Governor Andrew Cuomo. We are proud to endorse Andrew Cuomo for Mayor. Our members across the five boroughs will be mobilizing to elect Governor Cuomo as the next Mayor of New York City. ATU is Ridin’ with Cuomo,” continued President Costa.
Daniel Cassella, president of the ATU Local 726 representing Staten Island bus operators and maintenance workers, spoke about former Governor Cuomo saying “Free fares undercut the very jobs of my members who operate and maintain our buses,” Cassella said. “A free bus proposal hurts Staten Island and hurts New York City. As we have learned in places like Kansas City, Austin, Tampa, Raleigh, and Tucson, free bus programs just don’t work. “It’s a death spiral for safe quality public transportation,” he said, adding that “free buses create dangerous and unpleasant conditions for both workers and passengers,” continued Casella.
Cuomo said that “I am deeply honored to receive the support of ATU International and Local 726. Transit workers are the backbone of this city. They keep New York moving. I’ve always believed you don’t expand transit by gimmicks or costly experiments you expand it by investing in infrastructure, protecting union jobs, and building systems that last.”
