CWA BACKS CAMPAIGNS OF NJ ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES COMMITTED TO FIGHTING FOR WORKERS, MAKING NJ MORE AFFORDABLE FOR WORKING FAMILIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2025
Contact: Anna-Marta Visky, CWA District 1 NJ Political and Field Director
avisky@cwa-union.org  | (347) 574-5665

CWA BACKS CAMPAIGNS OF NJ ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES COMMITTED TO FIGHTING FOR WORKERS, MAKING NJ MORE AFFORDABLE FOR WORKING FAMILIES

13 Candidates Across Eight Districts With Competitive Primaries Get CWA Nod

TRENTON - As attacks on unions and working people have ramped up over the last several years and New Jersey has become increasingly unaffordable to working families, the need to maintain a strong, pro-worker majority in the New Jersey State Legislature is more urgent than ever before. With that in mind, the Communications Workers of America, District 1, announced endorsements of 13 pro-worker candidates for the New Jersey Assembly who have each shown a strong commitment to standing up for workers and working to address the runaway cost of living, particularly healthcare costs for public sector workers. CWA, with 70,000 members across New Jersey, will back:

• LD4: Dan Hutchison
• LD4: Cody Miller
• LD8: Andrea Katz
• LD16: Mitchelle Drulis
• LD16: Roy Freiman
• LD31: William Sampson
• LD33: Gabriel Rodriguez
• LD34: Michael Venezia
• LD34: Carmen Morales
• LD37: Ellen Park
• LD37: Shama Haider
• LD38: Lisa Swain
• LD38: Chris Tully

In addition to these thirteen candidates, CWA is also endorsing legislative allies running for re-election in nine other districts, including LD 6, 19, 20, 27, 28, and 35. The complete list of all CWA Assembly endorsements in the 2025 Assembly primary can be found here. 

“Now more than ever, as New Jersey has become increasingly unaffordable and attacks on workers - particularly those in the public sector - have ramped up from all angles, we know how incredibly important it is to have elected leaders in Trenton who will fight for working families,” said Dennis Trainor, Vice President, CWA District 1. “We need a State Legislature that works for all New Jersey residents, and these candidates have a proven track record and willingness to work with us to fight the skyrocketing healthcare costs that are driving the affordability crisis.”   

CWA members, many of whom make up the backbone of New Jersey’s public workforce, have been raising the alarm on increased attacks on working people, including in the form of rising cost of living, pushing many working families out of the state. Since 2022, healthcare premiums for State workers have increased by 40% while local government workers have seen a 59% compounded increase, leaving many workers fighting to make ends meet. This year, CWA, as part of a coalition of unions representing public workers, has announced its intention to go all out to stop these skyrocketing healthcare costs. The 13 endorsed candidates represent an opportunity to return New Jersey to its status as one of the strongest states in the country for working people.

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The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 working men and women in public service, education, telecommunications, customer service, healthcare, media, airlines, and manufacturing. District One represents 70,000 total members in New Jersey.