But recent campaign finance filings raise an intriguing question: Is the politically astute union now quietly hedging its bets?
In recent weeks, 1199 has been shoveling money into the Working Families Party, a labor-backed organization that has been mobilizing support for the Democratic candidate in a crucial State Senate special election in upstate New York on Tuesday. At the same time, the union has not contributed to the central campaign account maintained by Mr. Bruno's Senate Republican operation in about six months.
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At the same time, 1199 has poured $257,000 into the Working Families Party this year, nearly three times what they gave to the party in all of last year and more than in any year since 2003, according to state campaign finance records. In 2006 and 2007 combined, 1199 gave about $150,000 to the party, records show.
The Working Families Party has taken a leading role on the ground for the Democratic candidate in the race, Assemblyman Darrel J. Aubertine, and in providing money for his campaign.
"This isn't a token, tentative contribution," said Russ Haven, the legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group. "It could represent the margin of victory in a short-track winter contest in the north country that will turn on which side will get their voters to the polls."
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But, despite the denials, another trend is clear: 1199 has taken a noticeably softer tone with the governor. Last year, it led a multimillion-dollar campaign against Mr. Spitzer's budget cuts and exchanged hard-hitting television commercials with the administration, reinforcing its alliance with Mr. Bruno.
This year officials at 1199 have taken a much less aggressive tone - perhaps due in part to a change in leadership after Dennis Rivera, the longtime head of 1199, moved up to another job within the union.
Certainly not having Bruno's pal Rivera running the SEIU show in New York is a contributing factor here, but I think it's much more a case of the union getting on the good side of the Governor and the imminent Democratic Senate majority. They can see what's coming and and there's little that should trouble Uncle Joe and his crew more than this.
