Power Plays in New York
By 
Two influential New York City labor unions that backed Mayor Eric Adams in 2021 switched their support on Monday to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, reflecting his growing dominance as the race for mayor accelerates.
The coveted endorsements came from the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, which represents building workers. Together, the unions have more than 125,000 members and typically spend millions of dollars supporting their chosen candidates.
Both unions have a contentious history with Mr. Cuomo. They worked with him to pass a statewide increase to the minimum wage and other policies as governor, but later called for his resignation in 2021 amid mounting sexual harassment accusations. (Mr. Cuomo, who resigned, denies any wrongdoing.)
Now, they have concluded that Mr. Adams is fading politically and Mr. Cuomo has an increasingly direct path to City Hall. And like much of the city’s Democratic establishment, the unions appear more interested in making amends than antagonizing a famously sharp-elbowed leader who could have influence over city contracts and other priorities.
This is almost certainly it. The NYC mayoral race is a mess. When you have like 15 candidates all vying for the anti-Cuomo vote, it means none of them are going to win. Andrew Cuomo is both powerful, competent, and a dick. Moreover, it’s quite likely that if one of the other candidates somehow actually does win, they aren’t really going to hold it over the unions because those unions can then offer them a lot of support going forward. Meanwhile, if they don’t endorse Cuomo and Cuomo wins, he will have revenge on their members. The fact of the matter is that Andrew Cuomo is going to be the next mayor of New York City and this move is very strong evidence in favor of that, as depressing as it might be. Labor is looking out for its members here, reading the landscape and realizing that none of these other people are going to separate from the pack.