FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2018
Contact: Jeanne Stuart, press@voteforjuanita.com or (315) 925-7612

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) Endorses Juanita Perez Williams for Congress
First labor endorsement in NY-24 race

SYRACUSE, NY — Today, President Stuart Appelbaum of the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU) announced the union’s endorsement of Juanita Perez Williams in her campaign for New York’s 24th Congressional District. RWDSU’s endorsement marks the first labor endorsement in the congressional primary.

“Juanita is a proven champion for working men and women in Central New York,” said Appelbaum. “She stood with New York workers in the Fight for 15 to raise the minimum wage. She fought Governor Pataki’s illegal layoffs as a member of the NY Public Employees Federation. She carried forward Governor Cuomo’s Women’s Equality Agenda as Regional Director for the New York State Department of Labor. Juanita is the fighter we need, and has stood with labor time and time again — RWDSU is proud to stand with her now.”

“Growing up in a union family active in the United Farm Workers Movement, my parents taught me we must stand united in the fight for justice,” said Perez Williams. “That all lives have dignity, and we protect that dignity by organizing. I’m honored to receive RWDSU’s endorsement and support, and I will always fight on behalf of working families here in Central New York.”

ABOUT JUANITA; Juanita Perez Williams is committed to service, whether to her country, state or region. She served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, NYS Assistant Attorney General, and Corporation Counsel for the City of Syracuse. Perez Williams is a former prosecutor and Associate Dean at Syracuse University. Juanita is the mother of four grown children and a grandmother. She sits on several Central New York Boards including La Liga (Spanish Action League) and Clear Path for Veterans, and is a proud member of the Valley American Legion.

In Congress, she will fight for a bold vision of universal health care, stronger gun laws, equal pay for women, citizenship for DREAMers, and stronger investment in public education and infrastructure. She will always protect a woman’s right to choose and work tirelessly to overturn the Trump tax plan that gives massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy at the expense of New York’s middle class.

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