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Ball Opponent Wagner Garners Union Endorsement

SOMERS, N.Y. – Democrat Justin Wagner, who is running against Republican State Senator Greg Ball in the  40th Senate District, was formally endorsed on Tuesday by Local 1500 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW).

The UFCW joins endorsements by the Civil Service Employees Association, the New York State United Teachers, the Communication Workers of America, the League of Conservation Voters and numerous Democratic Committees throughout the district.

At a formal ceremony in front of the Somers Stop & Shop, UCFW representative, Pat Purcell, said, “Now more than ever we need Albany focused on growing good-paying jobs, not making it easier for big chains and corporations to shortchange hardworking men and women in a tough job market.”

Wagner declared himself, “proud to accept the endorsement of the UFCW,” and continued, “Good-paying jobs for working and middle-class New Yorkers are key to our economic comeback, but our minimum wage is a pale shadow of what we had decades ago. This is a clear policy difference – I’m standing with working New Yorkers and Greg Ball is standing against them.”

One of the contentious issues between Wagner and Ball is the state’s minimum wage law. When a proposal came before the Senate raising the minimum from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour, Ball voted against it, whereas Wagner favors the increase.

Wagner also supports the Wage Theft Prevention Act which was repealed by the State Senate this year. The law was intended to protect employees from wage abuse by unscrupulous employers. He is pro-choice, supports marriage equality, tax relief for homeowners, and campaign finance reform, among other issues.

A graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown Law School, Wagner is an Associate in the New York office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, specializing in Litigation. He is a native of the Hudson Valley and lives with his wife and young daughter in Cortlandt.

In Westchester, the 40th Senate District comprises Lewisboro, Somers, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Yorktown, Cortlandt, Peekskill, Mount Kisco, New Castle and Mount Pleasant.

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