The Empire State’s most powerful unions — including the United Federation of Teachers — are backing a “tax the rich” campaign that includes a proposal taking a bigger bite out of New Yorkers who are not millionaires.
The massive potential tax hikes could be a multi-billion dollar windfall for government worker unions listed as supporting a much-ballyhooed Democratic Socialists of America’s “Tax the Rich” rally on Wednesday that ultimately proved to be a big red bellyflop.
DSA true believers and other fellow travelers took to Albany’s streets to push legislation – which Mayor Zohran Mamdani championed as a state assemblyman – that wouldn’t just hit millionaires, but also raise income taxes by 10% on couples making $500,000.
Backers of that pro-tax campaign include the “Strong Economy for All Coalition,” with members such as the powerful UFT, affiliated New York State United Teachers unions, 1199 SEIU representing health care workers, the Communication Workers of America and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
But state Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar contended union leaders may be out of step with their membership, noting nearly half of city voters in labor-heavy districts voted against the tax-happy Mamdani in last fall’s general election.
“Couples making $500,000 in New York are not considered rich people. Affordability comes from not raising taxes, but lowering costs,” he said.
Kassar maintained many unionized government workers believe bloated government spending could be trimmed.
“Raising taxes will spur an exodus from New York and eventually you’ll run out of people and destroy the tax base that funds the services,” Kassar said.
Other groups, union and non-union alike, backing the “tax the rich” movement include:
- New Yorkers United for Child Care;
- the United Auto Workers Local 9A;
- Professional Staff Congress representing CUNY professors;
- NYS Nurses’ Association;
- the left-wing Working Families Party;
- the Federal Unionists Network;
- Alliance for Quality Education;
- New Yorkers United for Child Care
- And housing activists, including the NYS Tenant Bloc and Met Council, among others.
The coalition is spearheaded by Mamdani’s pals at the New York City chapter of the DSA, which even has a website taxtherichny.com.
Mamdani’s stunning ascendence to New York City’s mayor breathed new life into lefties’ long-standing calls to tax the rich. He has argued the best way to fund his ambitious agenda – as well as close a massive city budget shortfall – is to soak the rich, much to the chagrin of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
But the new Hizzoner ultimately snubbed the promised “takeover” of New York’s capitol, leaving the event without a marquee name of his caliber.
He said his absence shouldn’t be seen as a sign he’s any less dead-set on making the wealthiest state residents pay more in taxes.
“My not attending one event does not change in any way the strength with which I believe this, the urgency with which I believe we have to respond to it,” he said during an unrelated news conference in the Big Apple.
The bill pushed by the group would also increase the top tax rate by 220% to 24% on super-rich joint filers making more than $25 million.
The crowd fell far short of the thousands promised by the DSA, with one organizer revealing only about 1,700 people signed up.
The still-large, but not record-breaking by Albany standards, rally marched to the state capitol and blocked buses along the way – arguably undermining Mamdani’s call for fast and free buses.
Hochul, their target, wasn’t even in Albany. Instead, she was in the Big Apple, having internal meetings “focused on governing,” according to a source in her office.
The governor, who is seeking re-election in November, gave no sign of budging on her reluctance to take up the tax proposal this year.
“She does not see raising taxes as a box-checking exercise,” Hochul’s budget director Blake Washington told reporters at an unrelated event when asked about the rally.
“She sees it as something that must only be done when absolutely necessary.”
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