Gov. Cuomo backed for reelection

ALBANY — In a reversal from four years ago, state government's second-largest employee union has backed Gov. Cuomo's reelection.

The Public Employees Federation on Thursday endorsed the governor over Democratic primary opponent Cynthia Nixon.

The union cited Cuomo's pushback against a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that public workers cannot be forced to pay union dues, a move to make union dues deductible from state taxes and the negotiation of a new three-year contract.

“While rabid, anti-union forces try to threaten and destroy our movement, Gov. Cuomo has our backs,” said union President Wayne Spence.

Four years ago, the union endorsed Cuomo's insurgent Democratic primary challenger, Zephyr Teachout, who this year is one of four Dems in the state attorney general primary.

At the time, the union, which represents 54,000 professional, scientific and technical employees, was upset with Cuomo over previous contentious contract negotiations that included threats of layoffs and his successful push to enact a less-generous pension tier.

But after Teachout performed better than expected, Cuomo has repaired most of his relationships with the unions, winning the backing of groups like the AFL-CIO and the largest state public workers union, the Civil Service Employees Association, both of which stood on the sidelines four years ago.

“Union labor built our middle class and it is union labor that is going to strengthen our state and lift up working people,” Cuomo said in a statement accepting the Public Employees Federation endorsement. “New York will continue to lead the way in fighting back against the Trump administration as they seek to undo the progress we have achieved.”