Endorsing Union Vows To ​“Educate” Lamont

They don’t agree with Ned Lamont on paid sick days, but they like his campaign war chest.

That was the sentiment Wednesday, as a leading gubernatorial hopeful snagged a major endorsement from a key Democratic constituency. The leadership of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371 of Westport threw its support behind Lamont as he seeks the Democratic nomination for governor.

Brian Petronella, president of UFCW Local 371, announced the endorsement at Lamont’s downtown New Haven headquarters. He stressed Lamont’s newly released plan for job creation. Lamont has said job creation is his top priority.

“We’re both fighting for the same thing — jobs for the people of Connecticut,” said Petronella.

The two allies split when the topic turned to paid sick days. Lamont took heat from unions when he came out against a state bill that would require businesses to offer employees paid sick days.

Wednesday, the candidate clarified his position.

First Lamont said it’s up to unions to secure benefits for their workers, including paid sick days — ​“that’s why these guys are so important.”

He said he would support a federal paid sick day bill, but not a statewide bill.

“Making Connecticut the first state to have this policy would put us at a competitive disadvantage at a time when we’re losing businesses,” Lamont spokeswoman Justine Sessions later explained.

Petronella (at right in photo, with Lamont at left) disagreed. Like many labor leaders, he argued that workers have the right to be paid for sick days. He vowed to ​“educate” his newfound ally.

“I know it was brought up a couple weeks ago that he was against paid sick days,” but Lamont ​“isn’t close-minded about that,” Petronella said.

“We’re educating Ned on that issue.”

Lamont does provide paid sick days to the workers of his own communications business, according to a spokeswoman.

He’s Got The Money

Petronella’s union represents over 10,000 workers in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Members include 5,000 Stop & Shop employees, as well as nursing home workers, school bus drivers, and Stop & Shop Peapod drivers.

The union’s 35-member executive board voted last week to endorse Lamont. Petronella said out of the cluster of candidates seeking to replace retiring Gov. M. Jodi Rell, he interviewed only two, Lamont and former Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy.

The union’s e‑board did not see significant ideological differences between those two candidates, Petronella said.

“Dan Malloy is very good on working issues, as Ned Lamont is,” he said. He called the decision a ​“practical” one.

The choice comes down to ​“frankly, who can win an election,” Petronella said. Lamont has better name recognition, and has proven himself in a statewide vote by beating U.S. Sen Joe Lieberman in the 2006 Democratic primary, he said.

Lamont ​“has the momentum, and the money to do this,” Petronella said.

Local 371 supported U.S. Sen Joe Lieberman — not Lamont — in the 2006 general election. ​“As a result of backing [Lieberman], we have access to him on a regular basis,” Petronella said.

Once the Democratic primary season begins, Local 371 will be ​“in full full force throughout the state,” phone banking and door-knocking. ​“You name it, we’ll be doing it,” he said.

Malloy supports a statewide paid sick day bill and has attacked Lamont for his stance.

Malloy has picked up endorsements from the Communication Workers of America Local 1298, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478, the New London Police Union (AFSCME Local 724), and the Hartford Police Union, according to campaign staff.

Working Families

Lamont said he will also seek the endorsement of the Working Families Party. That party cross-endorses candidates who support labor issues. The endorsement would boost a candidate’s visibility on the election ballot.

Paid sick days will be a key issue as he goes through an interview process in search of the Working Families’ blessing. There, he’ll again meet Petronella, who co-chairs the committee that’s interviewing candidates.

So far, the endorsement is up in the air, as labor activists remain split between several Democratic candidates, including Malloy, Lamont and Juan Figueroa.

Shaw’s

Lamont was asked about a more local issue — the recent closure of Shaw’s supermarket in New Haven. Local 371 represents about 100 workers who are now out of a job because the New Haven store closed.

Shaw’s parent company, SuperValu, announced in February it was pulling out of Connecticut entirely. It sold all of its 18 stores to Stop & Shop — except for two stores in New Haven and Manchester.

Lamont was asked if he supports statewide incentives to lure companies to bring supermarkets to inner cities. He said he’d have to think about that.

He framed the Shaw’s departure as another instance of Connecticut’s governor failing to retain businesses in-state.

“If you had a governor who was proactive, talking to some of you guys,” he said, turning to Petronella, ​“you would know what the status was of some of these stores” before the company left, he said. He said the situation mirrors that of Sikorsky and Pratt & Whitney shipping jobs out of state.

“We’re always finding out after the fact,” when there are few options left, Lamont said. If you have a governor who talks to business and labor and sees what their needs are, the exodus might be avoided, he argued.

One union rep saw things differently. Brian Truini, executive assistant to Petronella, said Shaw’s didn’t leave because the state wasn’t good for business. The corporate parent saw an opportunity to make a profit by selling the stores, he said. Except for in New Haven and Manchester, the workers have remained employed, and with the same union.

Local 371 represents workers at both Stop & Shop and, formerly, at Shaw’s. The union has helped negotiate a deal so that laid-off workers at Shaw’s are guaranteed their current rate of pay, and current seniority status, if they get hired at a Stop & Shop.

Petronella said he saw hope on the horizon in New haven. He spoke Tuesday with a potential buyer for the Whalley Avenue site, he said.

“It’s not a dead issue,” Petronella said. ​“We are behind the scenes working on getting a good union employer there to provide good union jobs, and provide a supermarket for the community there. We’re working on that.”