Metro

Union power play in council speaker race

Members of the labor union that helped propel Bill de Blasio into City Hall aren’t just pushing for his pal to become City Council speaker — they’re also trying to clear the field of rivals.

Local 1199 representatives, who are actively backing de Blasio ally Melissa Mark-Viverito for the top council spot, have pressured Bronx Councilwoman Annabel Palma to drop out of the race.

“I believe the [union] aggression happening this time is one that we’ve not seen before,” said Palma, who, like Viverito, is a former organizer for the health-care workers’ union.

“I call on all labor leaders to allow us as council members, as elected officials, as leaders, to let us go through our process.”

Mark-Viverito, who has support from much of the council’s left-leaning Progressive Caucus, is one of the front-runners to replace Speaker Christine Quinn as one of the most powerful officials in city government.

Asked whether 1199’s bid to influence the race was appropriate, Mark-Viverito said she was focused on appealing to her colleagues directly, and would welcome any group that wants to back her.

“Any sort of expressions of support, I welcome them,” she said. “I do not know exactly all the decisions that are being made.”

The union’s political director, Kevin Finnegan, said he’s also unaware of members asking Palma to pull out of the speaker’s race.

“This is a really big union, so that doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “But it was not an official outreach from my office or the president’s office.”

Taking heat from her former union hasn’t rattled Palma, who has seen her share of adversity.

At 17, she had to transfer out of James Monroe HS in The Bronx after giving birth to a son. She later earned her GED as a single mom.

Even after getting certified as a nursing assistant and landing a job at St. Vincent de Paul nursing home, Palma found herself homeless for more than six months when her schedule was cut to part-time.

“I remember one day leaving work and finding that my door had been shut by the marshal because I just couldn’t pay my rent,” recalled Palma. “I was really ashamed of what I was going through.”

When her hours were restored, she got an apartment and later helped the nursing home workers organize into Local 1199.

She earned an associate’s degree in 1999 and began working solely as a union organizer, before being persuaded to run for City Council successfully four years later.

The speaker – who is elected internally – sets the Council’s legislative and oversight agendas and determines how much discretionary funding is allotted to each of the 51 districts.

Council members Dan Garodnick (D-Manhattan), Mark Weprin (D-Queens) and James Vacca (D-Bronx) are the other main contenders for speaker.