Teamsters’ umbrella org endorses Mark Levine for comptroller, but some locals back Justin Brannan instead



An umbrella group representing New York Teamsters unions is endorsing Mark Levine for city comptroller, but some of the organization’s individual locals have split away from the pack to instead back Justin Brannan for the fiscal watchdog post.

The Teamsters Joint Council 16 is comprised of 24 local unions representing more than 120,000 New York City workers across a variety of sectors.

Thomas Gesualdi, boss of the Teamsters Local 282 construction union who also serves as the joint council’s president, said his umbrella organization opted to back Levine in next month’s Democratic comptroller primary because he has “shown that he understands the importance of unions and the dignity of work.”

“We need a comptroller who sees us, who values our labor, and who will fight to make sure public dollars support working families,” Gesualdi told the Daily News in a statement.

Levine, Manhattan’s current borough president, said in a statement he’s “incredibly honored” to net the joint council’s nod.

Labor councils typically hold internal votes on how to endorse in local elections. Reps for the Teamsters Joint Council 16 didn’t immediately return requests for comment Tuesday on how its locals voted on the comptroller race.

But two of the joint council’s unions — including the politically influential Local 831 representing the city’s nearly 10,000 rank-and-file sanitation workers — have previously publicly endorsed Brannan for comptroller. The other union that already threw its weight behind Brannan is Local 804, which mostly represents UPS delivery workers.

Brannan, who currently serves as the City Council’s Finance Committee chairman, declined to comment Tuesday.

Backing from labor unions, which usually launch get-out-the-vote efforts for their endorsed candidates, is key in down-ballot races like comptroller primaries, as turnout tends to be low.

Brannan has locked in support for his comptroller run from a number of other influential New York labor groups, like 32BJ, the Transport Workers Union and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.

There has been no polling in the June 24 comptroller primary. Levine holds an edge in fundraising, though, having pulled in more than $3.9 million compared to Brannan’s $2.4 million.



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