Transcript: Governor Cuomo Joined by 3,000 Union Members, Delivers GOTV Remarks in Union Square Park
We're gonna build the best New York has ever been, and that is gonna be our legacy—that we leave our children. And that, my friends, is going to be the way we save our city. And that's our goal. We want to save the city that we love so much. We want to save New York. And that's why we are here today. It comes down to that simple reason: we're gonna save our city together…And organized labor is going to do it.
- Governor Andrew Cuomo
Video of Remarks Here
Photos of Event Here
Governor Cuomo, candidate for Mayor of New York City, was joined by over 3,000 men and women at the GOTV rally in Union Square Park. Cuomo was joined by organized labor from the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, District Council of Carpenters, IBEW Local 3, Iron Workers Local 46 Lathers Metallic, Building, Concrete, Excavating and Common Laborers Local Union #731, and the Mason Tenders District Council. Cuomo called for strong leadership to restore safety, support workers, and tackle New York City’s public safety and affordability crisis. He criticized ineffective politicians and promised real action to rebuild the city, positioning himself as the leader organized labor can count on to save New York. Cuomo urged voters to head to the polls for early voting and promised that, together, organized labor would build New York City to be the best it’s ever been.
A transcript of remarks below:
Do we have labor in the house? Do we have labor in Union Square? Thank you all so much for being here, and I want to thank these labor leaders. They’re a great, great group. Let's hear it for Gary Labarbera, Paul Capurso, Chris Erickson, Michael Anderson, Carmine D’Amato, Dave Bolger. Give them a round of applause.
I am proud to stand before you in Union Square as the candidate of organized labor—650,000 women and men. I represent you, and I thank you for that honor. Look, let's be honest, New York City is in trouble. You can feel it when you walk down the street. You can see it in the homeless people. You can see it when you walk down into the subway. You can see it in the rising crime. The city's in trouble, and the city needs help. And this Election Day—which has already started, early voting started this week and goes until next Tuesday—this is not just about electing a mayor. This is about defining what the Democratic Party is all about, because we believe the Democratic Party has lost its way. The Democratic Party is supposed to be—my Democratic Party, my father's Democratic Party, your Democratic Party—about the working men and women of this city who struggle for their families, who are working hard to pay for groceries, pay for the rent, pay for tuition, and need help. That's who the Democratic Party is supposed to serve.
And the Democratic Party was not supposed to be about all talk. The Democratic Party was supposed to get something done. It was supposed to deliver and make a difference in your life—make a positive difference in your life. That's what the Democratic Party is, and that's the soul of the Democratic Party that we are going to restore this Election Day with your help. I am tired of what I call “do-nothing Democrats” who take office, but they forget who they represent, and they don't have the courage or the confidence to actually produce for the people who they represent.
I am tired of what I call the “Twitter Democrats” who tweet. You don't create jobs by tweeting. You don't put food on the table by tweeting. You don't bring businesses to New York by tweeting. You don't build buildings by tweeting. You actually govern. You lead, you work, you do something. And that's what you're all about.
I am a ‘do-something Democrat’. I am gonna get the job done for you. I always have and I always will. And I'm gonna tell you right now what we're gonna do the first 30 days when I get into office. We're gonna start by making New York City safe again. We're gonna throw out that stupid ‘defund the police’ plan and that stupid ‘dismantle the police’ plan. We're gonna hire 5,000 police so we can keep our city safe.
First 30 days, we're gonna put up legislation to raise the minimum wage to put more money in the pockets of the working men and women of the city.
We're going to get the homeless mentally ill out of the subways and off the streets and get them the help they need and make the city safe. And we're gonna address the affordability crisis. And the minimum wage is going to help. And we're gonna cut taxes for the middle class. But the real problem is the rent is just too damn high because we don't have enough affordable housing. And the reason we don't have enough affordable housing is because we didn't build enough affordable housing. It is a very simple equation. It is supply and demand, and we know how to build housing, and we've been building it since 1930. We just have to be allowed to do what we do and build housing the way we know how to build housing. And we've had a government that has been an obstacle to construction. In this city, it can take you years to get permits. It can take you years to get through the agencies. And then a project goes to the New York City Council, and they say that's where a project goes to die. They work on approvals for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years.
We built LaGuardia Airport faster than they approve permits in that city government. How does that change?
The good news is we know how to make government work. We showed that on the state level. We showed how to pass legislation when we raised the highest minimum wage in the United States of America. And we passed paid family leave, and we protected the labor unions when Donald Trump was trying to attack 'em. We have the best environmental program in the United States of America. More alternatives to incarceration. We passed a balanced budget 11 years in a row—on time. They haven't done that since. And we know how to build. We built a new Mario Cuomo Bridge—on time, on budget. A new Second Avenue Subway—on time, on budget. A new third track for the Long Island Railroad—on time, on budget. A new Kosciuszko Bridge—on time and on budget. A new Moynihan Train Hall—on time and on budget. Don't tell me we don't know how to build. We built this city. We built this city, the greatest on the globe, and built by organized labor. That’s who built the city.
And we're gonna get this government out, and we're gonna put a government in that works and liberates your talent and your ability. And we're not just gonna rebuild New York—we're gonna build it better than ever before.
We're gonna build the best New York has ever been, and that is gonna be our legacy—that we leave our children. And that, my friends, is going to be the way we save our city. And that's our goal. We want to save the city that we love so much. We want to save New York. And that's why we are here today. It comes down to that simple reason: we're gonna save our city together. What are we gonna do? Save our city. We're gonna save our city. Save our city. Save our city. Save our city.
And organized labor is going to do it.
Thank you, and God bless you.
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