DC 37, city's largest public employee union, endorses Council members
Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate and John Liu for NYC Comptroller

The Executive Board of District Council 37, the city's largest public employee union, with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees, on July 8, 2009 voted unanimously to endorse City Council members Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate and John Liu for New York City Comptroller in the Democratic primary election in September.

The vote by the DC 37 Executive Board came on the heels of recommendations of both candidates by the DC 37 Screening committee.

"We endorsed City Council members Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate and John Liu for NYC Comptroller because they have supported the issues that are important to this union," said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. "We believe these two elected officials will best represent the interests of the 125,000 members of this union who work in 1,000 titles, including everything from accountants to zookeepers, as they struggle to maintain a decent quality of life for millions of New Yorkers.

"The members of DC 37 have been able to count on their support during our fight to protect both the vital services we provide and our jobs as the city sought to close a budget gap by putting thousands of workers on the chopping block rather than slashing the $9 billion being squandered on outside contracts and high-priced consultants.

"With our endorsement comes a pledge to work diligently on their behalf with our powerful, sophisticated field operations to get out the vote. This union has a proven record of successfully supporting our endorsed candidates."

District Council 37 is New York City's largest public employee union, with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees.