NY: Transit union endorses Cuomo’s bid for mayor, rebukes Mamdani’s free bus proposal
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign to become the next mayor of New York City recieved a boost on Saturday, when a union representing more than 20,000 local transit workers endorsed his candidacy at an event on Staten Island.
Daniel Cassella, president of the ATU Local 726 representing Staten Island bus operators and maintenance workers, touted the former governors’ “historic investments in buses and public transit,” while rebuking his opponent, Democratic party nominee Zohran Mamdani, saying his proposal to eliminate fares on city buses will cost workers their jobs.
“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.”
Cassella also praised Cuomo’s achievements as governor, including building a dedicated HOV lane connecting the Staten Island Expressway to the Hugh Carey Tunnel in 2017, “saving Staten Islanders 20 minutes a day, each way, every day.”
“Andrew Cuomo understands Staten Island better than all the other candidates combined,” Cassella said. “Cuomo has always recognized the unique challenges facing our borough’s transit system and is one of the rare elected officials to actually deliver for Staten Island riders and workers alike.”
Cuomo welcomed the union’s endorsement, writing in a statement: “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.”
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