Members Influence

Identifying and supporting the NYC Mayoral candidate who will do most for working people has long been a role for 1199ers.

Anyone seeking political office in 1199SEIU regions vies for the Union’s support. New York City is no different. Members have played a decisive role in deciding the political future of the largest city in the country for decades.

During its formative years, the scrappy left-wing union of pharmacy workers, aligned itself squarely with the New Deal policies of Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Local 1199 also supported New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who guided the city during the Great Depression and World War II.

A liberal Republican, La Guardia also ran for office on the line of the City Fusions, a party of independent Democrats that coalesced with Republicans to defeat the NYC bosses of the corrupt Democratic Party at the time. The Union leadership stressed that city government determined to a great extent the life conditions for its members and their families. Unions have always sought to make New York–a highly unionized city–a trendsetter for the rest of the nation.

During the organization of hospital workers beginning in the late 1950s, the city was led by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr., a Democrat and the son of Sen. Robert F. Wagner, the sponsor of the landmark 1935 National Labor Relations Act, which guaranteed the formation of unions, collective bargaining and the right to strike.

The younger Wagner also had a good relationship with unions, but he was not willing to confront the powerful elites who sat on the boards of the city’s voluntary hospitals. To reach its ultimate goal–full recognition and collective bargaining rights–1199 had to plead its case in the state legislature and the governor’s office.

In the 1960s, Local 1199 supported another pro-labor Republican for mayor, John Lindsay. By the 1970s, the union was becoming an important player in NYC politics. In 1973, it endorsed Rep. Herman Badillo in the Democratic primary for mayor.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rep. Badillo was attempting to become the city’s first mayor of color.

Four years later, the union endorsed Manhattan Rep. Bella Abzug in the Democratic primary

in her bid to become the city’s first female mayor. Neither Badillo nor Abzug prevailed.

In the 1980s, labor, progressives and the communities of color were unhappy with the record of Democratic Mayor Edward Koch, who had imposed fiscal austerity policies on New Yorkers to address the economic crisis of the 1970s. The mayor slashed programs for the poor and demanded concessions from the city’s municipal unions while providing tax cuts to the city’s real estate and business interests.

In 1980, progressive Democrats and New York activists found a formidable challenger to Koch – Brooklyn Assemblyman Frank Barbaro. Barbaro, of Italian descent, was a former longshoreman and a practicing lawyer, with strong ties to the progressive community. In the state legislature and beyond he had championed causes including civil rights, affordable housing, pro-union legislation and peace. Relatively unknown outside of progressive circles, Barbaro was dismissed by most political pundits.

Local 1199 was among the first unions to endorse Barbaro. That was followed by an endorsement by the New York City Central Labor Council (CLC), headed by Harry Van Arsdale Jr, a longtime friend of 1199.

Heavily outspent by the incumbent mayor, Barbaro won 36 percent of the Democratic primary vote and 70 percent of the Black vote. He also outpolled Koch in every minority assembly district. At his election night celebration, held at 1199’s Manhattan headquarters, Barbaro was flanked by 1199 President Leon Davis and the CLC’s Van Arsdale.

The coalition that led the Barbaro campaign continued its electoral work. Seven years later, many of the same activists helped Jesse Jackson carry New York City in the 1988 Democratic presidential primary. And in 1989, coalition members led the campaign to elect David Dinkins, the city’s first Black mayor. At his victory party, Dinkins credited 1199 for its leadership.

Mayor Dinkins was defeated in 1993 by Republican Rudy Giuliani, whose strategy depended heavily on exploiting racial divisions within the city. His victory ushered in 20 years of Republican rule, reflecting in part the power of the Wall Street, real estate and business communities.

1199 continued to play a prominent role in primary and general elections. During the 2001 mayoral primary campaign, Steven Greenhouse, labor reporter for The New York Times, wrote, “In New York’s political firmament, one union stands out as the superstar in getting out the vote: 1199, the giant health care workers’ union.”

An example of that political power was the 2013 NYC mayoral campaign. Before 1199’s endorsement, Bill de Blasio, a former Mayor Dinkins staffer, was languishing in fourth place among Democrats seeking the nomination for mayor. 1199’s support and mobilization of members was key to de Blasio winning the nomination and a subsequent two terms in office.

Weeks later, Melissa Mark-Viverito, a former 1199 staffer, was selected by New York City Council members as the first Latina to head the legislative body.

In 2021, the union’s endorsement of Maya Wiley in the Democratic primary helped her rise significantly in the polls. She was seeking to become the first Black woman elected mayor in the city, but she and the other progressives in the race were defeated by current Mayor Eric Adams.

1199’s support is still highly prized not only for its campaign donations, but also for its celebrated get-out-thevote operation headed by committed members.