By Nick Reisman and Jeff Coltin

AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said labor's voice will be strong in New York, the most unionized state in the nation, during the congressional races next year. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo

If a labor leader’s phone is ringing this month, odds are it’s a House candidate hoping to make a case for an endorsement.

Many candidates are just getting their campaigns going in battleground New York, and one of their first steps has been to bolster ties with New York’s powerful labor unions.

Former Sen. Jim Gaughran, a Democrat running for an eastern Long Island seat held by Republican Nick LaLota, said labor officials were among the first on his call sheet when he got into the race.

“That type of support is just invaluable in a political campaign,” Gaughran said in an interview.

Sen. John Mannion, running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican incumbent Brandon Williams in the Syracuse area, has already rolled out endorsements from the American Federation of Teachers and the Civil Service Employees Association.

Mannion himself is a former teachers union president.

“It’s going to have a tremendous impact on my campaign,” he said of the endorsements. “These labor groups know that I’m with them, and they’re with me.”

Labor endorsements are no small thing for a campaign: They can tap into a network of engaged members and help a candidate with getting voters to the polls.

New York has the largest percentage of unionized workers than any state in the country. But the labor movement is also not homogenous, and many unions in New York are often bipartisan in their endorsements.

The nods from labor organizations and unions themselves can be a rolling process, and many are not expected to issue their endorsements until later next year.

Both parties have pegged New York as a key state in 2024 for control of the House. And crowded primary fields are already developing in the Hudson Valley and Central New York, as well as on Long Island.

Top labor officials expect to be a major factor heading into next year’s elections.

“The labor movement in New York state always plays an outsize role in any election, and this coming year going into 2024, we will probably play an outsize role in the national landscape,” New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento told Playbook.

IT’S WEDNESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

WHERE’S KATHY? Delivering remarks at the NYC Central Labor Council 2023 Labor Day Parade reception and then making an education announcement with United Federation of Teachers.

WHERE’S ERIC? Hosting a reception for the new Universal Hip Hop Museum, making a public safety-related announcement, giving remarks and adding names to the World Trade Center Memorial Wall, then holding “Talk with Eric: A Community Conversation” and lastly speaking at the 52 Park Salsa Concert Park Series 2023.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think Virgos are better than her sign,” — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, when asked to elaborate on the philosophical disagreements between him and Gov. Kathy Hochul — apparently not realizing that she, too, is a Virgo.

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Ruschell Boone, an award-winning reporter and anchor for NY1, died after a courageous and public battle with pancreatic cancer. | Charter Communications via AP

Remembering Ruschell: NY1 journalist Ruschell Boone died Sunday of complications from pancreatic cancer, her station of 21 years announced Tuesday. She was 48. Boone had been open about her diagnosis and ongoing treatment, sharing updates with the community who’d known her and watched her over the years.

“In 2018, she was the only television reporter to speak live with an underdog candidate for Congress who was about to become world-famous. In fact, she delivered the news to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” NY1 wrote in an obituary, about Boone’s viral video clip.

Memories poured in from friends, colleagues, elected officials and viewers — many of them mentioning Boone’s energetic reporting from the West Indian Day Parade each year, where she’d proudly rep her Jamaican heritage.

She was “the epitome of a New Yorker,” “one-of-a-kind,” and “a representation of our city's beauty.” Said her NY1 colleague Alyssa Paolicelli: “Ruschell truly fully embodied the phrase ‘larger than life.’” — Jeff Coltin

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Edward Caban held a public safety briefing Tuesday to discuss police events around Labor Day weekend. | Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

MAYOR DRONES ON: Adams patted the NYPD on the back for its work over the busy Labor Day weekend, noting that major crimes were down 9 percent over last year.

Reading carefully from prepared remarks at a 1 Police Plaza presser Tuesday, Adams said it was a tough weekend, with J’ouvert, the West Indian Day Parade, the U.S. Open and the Electric Zoo music festival. Adams singled out EZoo — run by one-time clients of his close adviser Frank Carone — saying he “will be dealing with them” after they oversold tickets, leading to chaos and gatecrashing.

But the real focus of the presser seemed to be drones and defending the city’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles for policing. “It costs $1,700 to fill up a helicopter,” Adams said. “it costs 17 cents to fly a drone. That's just good use of New York tax dollars.”

Adams had been criticized by privacy advocates — and people who like to grill — after saying Friday the NYPD might use drones to check out Labor Day barbecues. But the message Tuesday was clear: We used drones, the world didn’t end, and we’ll keep using drones. — Jeff Coltin

More from the city:

— “The Boat,” NYC’s floating jail, will close next month after 31 years, and detainees will be moved to Rikers. (Gothamist)

— The Supreme Court is expected to take up some key rent stabilization cases. (City Limits)

— Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is leaving to become a deputy security chief at the Port Authority. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

— NYC's migrant services contract has been rejected. (New York Times)

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay was in Queens on Tuesday to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to hold a special session of the state Legislature to further address the migrant crisis. | Hans Pennink/AP Photo

WAIT ‘TIL JANUARY: Don’t hold your breath for a special session in Albany to address the migrant crisis.

Republican lawmakers Tuesday urged for a return to the state Capitol with legislation that included calls for an audit of migrant funding, registering migrants for background checks and reversing the state’s sanctuary state status.

None of the proposals stand a chance with the Democratic supermajorities in the state Senate and Assembly.

“As we have said from the beginning, this crisis is not going away any time soon and it is our responsibility to ensure that the hardworking taxpayers of New York State, who we represent, are protected,” Republican lawmakers wrote in a letter to Hochul.

Senate Democrats’ spokesperson Mike Murphy called it “an absurd request” after the budget in May set aside $1.5 billion for migrant support.

“Democrats in Albany have stepped up to help,” he said, “while Republicans have simply tried to use this as a political tool to fuel hate and bias.” — Nick Reisman

More from Albany:

— Attorney General Tish James is seeking fines against former President Trump for making “frivolous” legal arguments. (POLITICO)

— Newsday’s editorial board says Albany lawmakers should reverse a car insurance premium hike that was signed into law by Hochul. (Newsday)

— New York state is making Covid tests available for schools as the new year begins. (Spectrum News)

Some groups want New York's congressional leaders to not concede to spending cuts in budget negotiations in Washington. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo

Grassroots progressive groups across the state are telling Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to hold the line against the GOP in budget negotiations.

They’re urging the New Yorkers to “to support a government funding package only if it rejects any and all GOP-imposed cuts or harmful policy riders.”

More than 50 groups from Adirondacks Indivisible to the Suffolk Progressives joined a sign-on letter sent to the leaders Tuesday.

Congress is back in Washington after the summer recess and has until Sept. 30 to pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. — Jeff Coltin

— Rep. George Santos appears to be in plea talks with the government, according to court papers filed Tuesday. (POLITICO)

JOIN US ON 9/12 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW AGE OF TRAVELING: In this new era of American travel, trending preferences like wellness tourism, alternative lodging and work-from-anywhere culture provide new but challenging opportunities for industry and policy leaders alike. Join POLITICO on Sept. 12 for an expert discussion examining how the resilience of the tourism and travel industries is driving post-pandemic recovery. REGISTER HERE.

Curaleaf is among the medical marijuana companies imploring New York to expand its sale of recreational weed to them. | /Matt Slocum/AP Photo

NEW YORK MARKET WOES: Cannabis business interests are imploring Hochul to fix the mess that is the state’s nascent legal marijuana market.

The CEOs of four large cannabis companies, which serve the state’s medical program, recently penned a letter to Hochul decrying her administration’s “ineptitude” in implementing marijuana regulations.

The state Office of Cannabis Management “has abused its authority under New York’s adult use law, played politics with the licensing process” and allowed the illicit market to flourish, the letter read.

The CEOs of Curaleaf, GTI, PharmaCann and Acreage urged the OCM to begin issuing licenses beyond its conditional retail licensing program “as soon as possible,” arguing that allowing the medical operators into the market will not create a monopoly due to limits on dispensing locations.

In response, Hochul’s office said: “New York State is establishing the most equitable adult-use cannabis market in the nation.”

The letter makes similar arguments as a lawsuit against the program, which has resulted i n a temporary injunction on dispensary openings.

Meanwhile, applicants for the conditional licensing program, which prioritizes entrepreneurs who have been directly impacted by marijuana enforcement, are calling on legislative leaders to convene a special session to codify the program in statute.

If they don’t, “the regulations governing adult-use recreational dispensaries could be subject to frequent changes or even reversal,” their petition reads. “There are hundreds of families facing real financial loss or worse; the prospect of bankruptcy due to their reliance on this deeply troubled business initiative.” — Mona Zhang

— Officials are alarmed by the appearance of dead whales along the Atlantic coast this year. (LoHud)

— Attendance at the State Fair fell short of pre-pandemic levels. (Syracuse.com)

— A record number of Spirit of Halloween stores will open this spooky season. (Newsday)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie … Elizabeth Vargas … Bloomberg’s Jason Schechter … Paul Miller … NYT’s Paul Volpe … Meredith McPhillips … CNN’s Tala Alrajjal … Fox News’ Gillian Turner … Ari Schaffer … Clyde Prestowitz of the Economic Strategy Institute … Howard Zucker … Will Simmons … Peter Schanzer … (was Tuesday): Iris Weinshall ... Jacob Frydman

FOR YOUR RADAR: “Biden books are still bombing: The current president still isn’t quite the publishing house’s dream that his predecessor was,” by POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman.

NOT THE ENDORSEMENT YOU WANT: Conservative pundit Ann Coulter Instagrammed a photo with former Gov. David Paterson on Tuesday from The Beach Cafe, saying she was “trying to convince New York’s best governor to run for mayor.”

MAKING MOVES: Christian Marrone is now head of global intelligence and security at NYC-based industrial and investment conglomerate Standard Industries. He was most recently senior adviser at WestExec Advisors and is an alum of Lockheed Martin, DHS and DOD.

— Only about half of New York City workers are back at buildings on a given day compared with pre-Covid levels. (Bloomberg)

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