CONTACT:
Erin Duggan
Cy Vance for Manhattan DA
(646) 248-4370
eduggan@cyvanceforda.com

The Mason Tenders District Council of Greater New York, a progressive labor organization composed of more than 15,000 members in six local unions, today endorsed Cy Vance for Manhattan District Attorney. Political Director Michael McGuire pointed to Vance’s Labor Initiative and his Plan to Protect Workers as proof positive that he is the right choice for working New Yorkers. This is the latest in a series of important endorsements for Vance, who has built a strong coalition of support across Manhattan.

“Cy Vance is passionate about delivering justice for workers,” said Mason Tenders Political Director Michael McGuire. “He will make sure that the working people of Manhattan are treated fairly and safely, regardless of other factors, such as union membership or immigration status. He understands that the District Attorney is the people’s prosecutor, and he has the experience and judgment to fulfill that role. His Labor Initiative, which calls for stepping up prosecutions of wage theft, ensuring workplace safety, and reaching out to immigrant workers, is an important step in the fight for the rights of all working people.”

“The Mason Tenders have been constant advocates for workers’ rights and safety. They are a progressive voice committed to justice for workers, and I am proud to receive their endorsement,” said Vance. “Their members include asbestos handlers, construction workers, and recycling and waste handlers – the men and women who make Manhattan livable and safe. Now we must work in turn to keep them safe. As District Attorney, I will aggressively prosecute wage theft, worker intimidation, and violations of workplace safety, and I will help to educate workers on their rights and work with them to prevent future crimes.”

The Mason Tenders, one of the founding organizations of the Working Families Party, has established itself as an aggressive voice capable of swinging elections and organizing working voters. It is one more powerful labor organization, along with the influential Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union and Teamsters Union Local 237, helping Vance’s campaign with GOTV efforts and voter organization drives.

The Mason Tenders endorsement is the latest in a series of high-profile endorsements for Vance. The New York Times, the Daily News, current District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, former Mayor David Dinkins, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Caroline Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Gloria Steinem and the founders of the Innocence Project and the Doe Fund have all endorsed Vance in recent months.

Vance has also received overwhelming support from the legal community, on both sides of the courtroom. In addition to the endorsement of current District Attorney Morgenthau, Vance has the support of more than 100 former prosecutors – many of whom have worked with all three candidates – who believe Vance is the best qualified to lead the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.