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RWDSU Endorses Rice for Attorney General

by SoHo Journal Staff

A press release from candidate for New York State Attorney General, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice:
 
NEW YORK (May 4, 2010) – Less than 24 hours after announcing her bid for New York State Attorney General, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice has received the endorsement of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW. The RWDSU represents 100,000 members in the U.S. and Canada, including 45,000 retail, grocery and drug store workers in New York.
 
“Kathleen is smart, she’s tough and she’s progressive,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU. "Kathleen is also the strongest candidate the Democratic Party can field in the November general election.   Her presence on the ticket will be helpful to Democratic candidates running throughout the state.   We have been saying for some time that this is going to be a difficult election year for Democrats; and we need to make sure that we nominate the strongest possible ticket.   Kathleen Rice is the best person to ensure that we keep the Attorney General's office in progressive hands. She will make an excellent Attorney General for New York's working families."
 
“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the RWDSU and its hardworking members,” said District Attorney Rice. “They have long been a progressive voice in New York, advocating tirelessly on behalf of working men and women. I’ve spent my entire career standing up for hardworking families and fighting for justice for workers and their families. As my county’s DA, I’ve protected workers’ rights and I’ve taken a stand against employers who cheat working families, endanger consumers and threaten public safety. When I’m elected Attorney General, I will take this commitment to union families and to workplaces and communities across the state. I’m honored to have the endorsement of such a powerful and progressive union.”
 
Nassau County District Attorney Rice has made workers’ rights and labor issues a centerpiece of her time as District Attorney. In 2008, District Attorney Rice took on Wal-Mart and their handling of a fatal Black Friday stampede. District Attorney Rice’s investigation eventually forced the retail giant to setup a $1.5 in victims’ compensation fund and agree to a series of unprecedented and sweeping safety reforms designed to protect consumers and store workers during similar sales at any of Wal-Mart’s nearly 100 New York stores.
 
In addition to the Wal-Mart settlement, District Attorney Rice started Nassau’s first-ever unit focused solely on investigating and prosecuting violations of state and local wage laws, misclassification fraud and low-wage worker exploitation. District Attorney Rice’s Labor Unit has recovered more than $1.4 million in restitution and forfeiture to local governments and workers in Nassau.

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