Old grudge keeps major labor group out of CD4 race, for now

Daily Point

Gillen's lawsuit against CSEA behind no-endorsement recommendation

Endorsement recommendations by the Long Island Federation of Labor — or the actual endorsements made by the state Federation — don’t often make news, as they usually fall along typical and unsurprising political lines.

But a no-endorsement recommendation by the LI Fed in this overheated election year is making lots of waves.

The LI Fed voted to make a no-endorsement recommendation in the CD4 race between Democrat Laura Gillen and Republican freshman Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. The decision came in the wake of significant concerns from the Civil Service Employees Association, or CSEA, which hasn’t forgotten that while she was Hempstead Town supervisor, Gillen sued the CSEA in 2018 over a no-layoff clause for union workers that, she argued, protected patronage jobs and hamstrung her efforts as supervisor.

That lawsuit, sources told The Point, left bad blood between Gillen and the CSEA, which makes up a significant portion of both the local and state federations of labor.

So, when the LI Fed voted on an endorsement in the race, members narrowly chose to not endorse at all, according to the sources. That recommendation then goes to the state Fed, which makes decisions at its convention, scheduled for Aug. 27 and 28.

But many union members have said they recognize the importance of the CD4 seat — and have argued in favor of a Gillen endorsement. So, there are discussions among key players about how to get to a place where the CSEA and the rest of the state Fed could support a Gillen endorsement.

"Conversations are going on about this race in Albany," one source told The Point.

A Gillen spokeswoman did not immediately return calls for comment.

The LI Fed recommendation alone doesn’t stand as a final, official action by the local organization, so as of now "nothing is official yet," one source said. That will only come with the state organization’s decision.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Quick Points

Nightmare scenario

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• Former President Donald Trump said he is pulling out of a scheduled September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris and instead wants them to face off on Fox News. Perhaps he should just come out and say it: He doesn’t want to debate Harris.
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• Long Island Rail Road riders say that manners and civility among passengers are at an all-time low. That might be true, but let’s not pretend that LIRR trains are the only place that’s a problem.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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