Bernie Sanders' subway flub doesn't stop New York transit workers union from endorsing him

BY DAN RIVOLI NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

April 13, 2016

This is more than a token endorsement.

New York’s transit workers union Wednesday threw its support behind Sen. Bernie Sanders’ quest for the presidency.

Transport Workers Union Local 100, representing 42,000 workers in the New York region, endorsed the fiery Vermont senator ahead of the state’s Tuesday presidential primary.

Sanders visited the union hall in downtown Brooklyn to pick up the endorsement, taking the podium to chants of “Bernie! Bernie!”

He slammed the usual targets of his populist anger, including big corporations and the wealthy who put their money in tax havens.

He also called for growing trade unions around the country and spending $1 trillion on repairing crumbling infrastructure.

“We need the best mass transportation system in the world — it is essential to our economy,” he said. “Millions of people in this city depend on a high-quality mass transportation system to get them to work.”

The Democrat said his infrastructure spending plan could be paid for by keeping the wealthy from stashing their fortunes in tax havens.

We end that loophole, that’s $100 billion a year we put right into our infrastructure,” he said.

TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen said that Sanders’ message aligns with his members’ concerns.

“In Bernie Sanders, we see a kindred spirit,” Samuelsen said. “Bernie Sanders has been fighting against the powers that be in this country on behalf of American workers his entire life.

”The endorsement vote by the union’s executive board was nearly unanimous, Samuelsen said.

“He speaks our language,” said Louis Marrero, a bus driver and union official from Staten Island. “He speaks for labor.”

“We’re a progressive union,” he added.

Sanders revealed he still thought subway riders used tokens during an April 1 conversation with the Daily News Editorial Board.

But the gaffe was taken in stride by rank-and-file TWU members.

“He was born in Brooklyn,” said station agent Christine Williams, 49. “He’s been out of town for a while. I have no problem with that.”

Samuelsen, the union chief, said Sanders’ economic message was more important than “nitpicking” his transit knowledge.

“I think Bernie’s old school,” Samuelsen said when asked about the token comment.

Sanders’ rival for the Democratic nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had a subway snafu of her own while campaigning in the city recently.

She had to repeatedly swipe her MetroCard to enter a Bronx train station.