Mamdani Defies Corporate Dems, But Workers Back His Free Bus Fare Plan

Forbes

15-07-2025

Zohran Mamdani takes the subway betweenr campaign events on May 27. (Photo by Andrew ... More Lichtenstein/Corbis)
A top New York City labor leader says mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is succeeding for the same reason Donald Trump has succeeded: 'In the eyes of working people, he is the antidote to what has plagued his party.
'This is about working people with establishment fatigue, exhausted with same old, same old, corporate Democrats and Republicans catering to corporate interests,' said John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers Union and former president of TWU Local 100, the historic local that represents New York City subway and bus workers.
'Zohran smashed establishment Democrats,' Samuelsen said. 'He talks about economic security and affordability for working people. He focused on economics. Trump did the same thing in 2016: Now it's ten years later and Democrats still have not learned the lesson.
'Imagine how desolate the Democrats are that a Democrat running on affordability is an anti-establishment Democrat. That's nuts. But Zohran learned the lesson,' he said.
TWU has not endorsed Mamdani. However, Samuelsen strongly backs Mamdani's plan for free bus service. 'I've spoken to him at length about his positions on public transit, as far back as four years ago,' Samuelsen said. 'His discussions with TWU have shaped his vision for public transit. That separates him from the crowd: he has the humility to come and speak with the union.'
Mamdani was elected to the state assembly in 2020. He championed a 2023 pilot program to test free busses on five NYC routes.
The New York City Central Labor Council, a coalition of over 300 unions, endorsed Mamdani on June 30 following his victory in the June 25th Democratic primary. Samuelsen is among the council's most visible members.
Samuelsen made a surprise appearance at a June 14th Mamdani rally on June 14. Before a cheering crowd, he endorsed the free bus plan, which would be likely to substantially diminish assaults on bus drivers seeking to collect bus fare.
'I'm here for one reason tonight: that reason is to talk about Zohran's policy on public transit, particularly fare free busses,' Samuelsen proclaimed.
'Three pillars to get out of urban poverty are quality education, quality health care and robust public transit,' he said. 'Tie all those together, and our kids have a chance of escaping the type of urban blight that we've been subjected to all these years.'
'Zohran of all the mayoral candidates recognizes this,' he said. 'Only Zohran reached out to the workers to say I have policies on public transit, what does the union think?'
First elected president of Local 100 in 2009, Samuelsen served two terms before being elected TWU international president in 2017. He has ongoing relationships with Mayor Eric Adams and former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
As for a TWU endorsement, Samuelsen said 'There are ongoing conversations. They may or may not lead to an endorsement.' He noted that he has relationships with all three mayor candidates.
Adams 'is a working-class guy from the streets of New York who has support among our membership,' Samuelsen said. 'He took crime in the transit system, subway and bus, very seriously. There is a level of appreciation from our membership and from the officers of the TWU. He's not perfect. Nobody's perfect.'
Cuomo said Monday that he will run as a third-party candidate. Samuelsen said Cuomo betrayed TWU workers when he committed to a bill that includes overtime earnings in pension calculations, then vetoed it. 'I talk to him,' Samuelsen said. 'It's not personal. We just can't trust him.'
Mamdani, meanwhile, 'is a dynamic candidate, and he has support as well' within Local 100. In upcoming subway contract talks, 'We don't bargain with the city, but I think he would be supportive of the TWU in our contract fight and our fight to keep conductors on the trains,' Samuelsen said.
Regarding Mamdani's controversial stand on the Middle East conflict, Samuelsen said, 'Our position is we will endorse candidates on their economic positions as it relates to TWU members.'
In the end, if Mamdani wins, 'We will have to see how he governs,' Samuelsen said. 'He is focused on affordability. If he effectuates his campaign agenda, it will look great for Democrats in the rest of the country. But on the policing side, if New York spins out of control, that negates the affordability.'
TWU has about 48,000 members in New York City including 42,000 members of Local 100 and about 6,000 flight attendants at JetBlue. Nationally, TWU has about 161,000 members and is the largest airline union, with members at American, JetBlue, Southwest and others.