{"id":2534611,"date":"2026-01-13T05:29:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-city-unions-have-history-of-supporting-maduro-regime\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T05:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:32:27","slug":"new-york-city-unions-have-history-of-supporting-maduro-regime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-city-unions-have-history-of-supporting-maduro-regime\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City unions have history of supporting Maduro regime"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-york-city-unions-have-history-of-supporting-maduro-regime%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2534611&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>New York City labor leaders have a documented history of publicly supporting Nicol\u00e1s Maduro&#8217;s government in Venezuela, the article reports. After U.S. authorities captured Maduro, New York emerged as a center of pro\u2011Maduro sentiment-reflecting long\u2011standing ties between the Caracas regime and local unions. In 2017, Maduro invited U.S. union officials to observe a controversial constituent\u2011assembly vote widely condemned by international observers; despite evidence of low turnout and claims of vote tampering by Smartmatic, several New york labor figures praised the process in Venezuelan state media. Named officials who defended the election include Estela Vazquez (1199 SEIU), Judy Gonzalez (New York State Nurses Association), and John Patafio (Transport Workers Union).<\/p>\n<p>The piece says Maduro&#8217;s government has used these visits and endorsements to polish its international image. After the 2017 vote, the U.S.imposed sanctions on Venezuela; some union leaders later signed a petition opposing those sanctions via the Alliance for Global Justice, a group criticized for ties to othre controversial organizations. The article also cites earlier meetings between Maduro and NYC union leaders (2015) and notes current union alignment with groups opposing U.S. intervention. Critics argue such support undermines unions&#8217; credibility when they champion workers&#8217; rights at home while backing an oppressive foreign regime.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">New York City unions have history of supporting Maduro regime<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2080482\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Following the United States&rsquo;s dramatic capture of former Venezuelan dictator <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nicolas-maduro\/\">Nicol&aacute;s Maduro<\/a> earlier this month, New York City, where authorities are holding the autocrat, emerged as an epicenter of pro-Maduro sentiment in America. Such a development is unsurprising given the New York labor movement&rsquo;s long-standing alignment with Caracas.<\/p>\n<p>Maduro&rsquo;s regime, for instance, has used New York labor leaders in an attempt to launder its international image, and union officials were all too happy to assist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4413620\/fbi-names-agent-dan-bongino-replacement-deputy-director\/\">FBI names longtime agent as Dan Bongino&#8217;s replacement for deputy director<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4413371\/trump-administration-claims-video-from-minnesota-officers-pov-proves-he-acted-in-self-defense\/\">Trump administration claims video from Minnesota officer&#8217;s POV proves he acted in self defense<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4413103\/new-top-democrat-house-ccp-committee-took-cash-china-linked-donors\/\">New top Democrat on House CCP committee took cash from China-linked donors<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Ahead of Venezuela&rsquo;s 2017 elections, called by Maduro amid mass protests to elect an assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution, the regime invited a delegation of American union leaders to observe the voting and praise the country&rsquo;s electoral process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The election was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2017\/07\/26\/why-we-oppose-maduros-constituent-assembly\">roundly <\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dfae.admin.ch\/eda\/en\/home\/news\/news-fdfa.html\/eda\/en\/meta\/news\/2017\/7\/29\/67639\">condemned <\/a>by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-venezuela-politics-pope-idUSKBN1AK1EG\">international observers<\/a> who <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cartercenter.org\/news\/pr\/venezuela-080117.html\">characterized <\/a>it as an attempt by Maduro to erode Venezuela&rsquo;s remaining democratic institutions. Maduro&rsquo;s opposition boycotted the election, leading to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/4881871\/maduro-venezuela-constitution-sanctions\/\">independent estimates<\/a> placing voter turnout <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/prodavinci.com\/blogs\/sobre-los-resultados-anunciados-por-el-cne-por-eugenio-martinez\/\">between <\/a>11.3% and 21%. During the election, allies of Maduro reportedly used force to compel voting and asserted that turnout was overwhelming. Ultimately, the government <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2017\/07\/31\/venezuela-vote-turnout-41-5-percent---electoral-commission\">claimed <\/a>that 41.53% of voters participated in the election.<\/p>\n<p>Smartmatic, the company that provided <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">the voting machines for the election,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smartmatic.com\/us\/media\/smartmatic-statement-on-the-recent-constituent-assembly-election-in-venezuela\/\">reported&nbsp;<\/a>that Venezuelan election officials tampered with the machines&nbsp;<\/span>to inflate turnout figures. The vast majority of Venezuelans polled by independent sources <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/lapatilla.com\/2019\/10\/16\/nacionales-barren-a-cardenales-e-iran-a-la-serie-mundial-por-primera-vez-en-su-historia\/\">characterized <\/a>the government as a dictatorship and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lanacion.com.ar\/2022230-el-chavismo-entrenara-a-200000-militantes-politicos-para-el-combate\">voiced opposition<\/a> to drafting a new constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Despite all this, the New York labor leaders invited by the regime to monitor the elections were quick to endorse them, giving positive interviews to the Venezuelan state-sponsored media outlet Telesur, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20170808164939\/http:\/\/www.telesurtv.net\/english\/news\/US-Trade-Unionist-Unmask-Mass-Media-Lies-on-Venezuela-Assembly-20170806-0014.html\">according <\/a>to an archived webpage reviewed by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Estela Vazquez, who was serving as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-former-ag-barr-initiated-spying-program-on-americans-back-in-1992\/\" title=\"FLASHBACK: Former AG Barr Initiated Spying Program on Americans Back in 1992\">executive vice president<\/a> of the 1199 SEIU at the time, ironically, said that &ldquo;99% of the Venezuelans support the process,&rdquo; contradicting the findings of independent observers but <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lapatilla.com\/site\/2017\/07\/30\/lucena-dice-que-el-99-y-mas-de-la-poblacion-venezolana-esta-votando-en-todo-el-pais-video\/\">mirroring the rhetoric<\/a> of the Venezuelan regime.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The participation was impressive,&rdquo; said Vazquez, who was taken to select polling stations by officials. &ldquo;So I found [it] surprising when I saw headlines the next day talking of high absenteeism in Venezuela, and that is not the truth.&rdquo; Venezuela&rsquo;s own statistics ultimately showed that the majority of the country did not participate in the elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">SEIU union members protest for an increase in the minimum wage. SEIU fired one of the lead architects of its $15 minimum wage campaign, stating that he violated the union&rsquo;s ethics rules regarding nepotism. (AP Photo\/Carlos Osorio) | Carlos Osorio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Judy Gonzalez, a registered nurse who was the president of the New York State Nurses Association at the time of the elections, praised Venezuelan officials for the allegedly incredible transparency with which they were administering the election.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been through a lot of union elections, I know what to look for when there&rsquo;s cheating. I didn&rsquo;t see any cheating,&rdquo; John Patafio, who was vice president of the Transport Workers Union at the time, said, echoing Gonzalez&rsquo;s claim. &ldquo;I saw a very open process; I saw the people [who] were controlling it were people from the community, earnest. So, I thought it was fine.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The trio accused independent observers of engaging in &ldquo;propaganda&rdquo; by criticizing the elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Representatives for the 1199 SEIU, NYSNA, and TWA did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All credibility goes out the window when you beat the drum for workers&rsquo; rights in the U.S. while simultaneously applauding an oppressive leader in Caracas,&rdquo; Charlyce Bozzello, communications director at the Center for Union Facts, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;These &lsquo;useful idiots&rsquo; should remember that workers everywhere have the right to fair elections and free speech without the risk of imprisonment.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Following the widely criticized 2017 Venezuelan elections, the United States imposed sanctions on the country. A number of labor union leaders joined the Alliance for Global Justice &mdash; a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >left-wing nonprofit group<\/a> that has since <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">faced scrutiny for sponsoring Samidoun, an organization deemed by the Treasury Department to&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/foreign-policy\/3189782\/treasury-sanctions-palestinian-terrorism\/\">be&nbsp;<\/a>a Hamas fundraising front &mdash; in&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/venezuelanalysis.com\/analysis\/13716\/\">opposing the<\/a><\/span><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/venezuelanalysis.com\/analysis\/13716\/\">  sanctions<\/a> through a petition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Among the signatories were Vazquez, the president of the National Lawyers Guild; the general president of the United Electrical Workers; counsel for the United Steelworkers Union; and scores of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-vows-to-protect-u-s-steel-as-debate-swirls-over-merger\/\" title=\"Trump Vows To Protect U.S. Steel As Debate Swirls Over Merger\">local union leaders<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3901608\/chicago-teachers-union-funneled-millions-to-liberals\/\"><strong>CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION FUNNELED MILLIONS TO LIBERALS WHILE KEEPING MEMBERS IN THE DARK ABOUT FINANCES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ties between American labor organizers and the Maduro regime go back even further.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>An <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/embavenezdc\/albums\/72157659344818445\/with\/21677798929\">online photo album<\/a> posted by an account apparently belonging to the Venezuelan Embassy in September 2015 shows the now former dictator meeting with a large group of New York City union leaders in Harlem. An image of a document resurfaced by the anonymous X account &ldquo;L&rdquo; appears to show that the 1199 SEIU held a &ldquo;People of African Descent Leadership Summit&rdquo; on the same date the embassy&rsquo;s album says Maduro met with U.S. labor leaders. The document, which is likely legitimate as it was also posted by the Venezuelan Embassy, describes Maduro as &ldquo;his excellency.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Fast-forwarding to the present day, New York City unions, such as the 1199 SEIU, have&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/1199seiu.org\">aligned themselves<\/a>&nbsp;with organizations like Indivisible, one of the primary groups<\/span> rallying against American intervention in Venezuela. Meanwhile, New York-based leadership at the United Autoworkers, such as its <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BenjaminDictor\/status\/2007874293502509336?s=20\">counsel <\/a>and the union&rsquo;s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mancillabrando\/status\/2007633460710781127\">regional director<\/a>, have criticized the United States for removing Maduro.<\/p>\n<p>Even the AFL-CIO, the nation&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oh-the-places-the-woke-will-go-dr-seuss-canceled-for-racial-undertones\/\" title=\"Oh The Places The Woke Will Go: Dr. Seuss Canceled For \u2018Racial Undertones\u2019\">largest labor union<\/a>, has condemned the United States for removing Maduro from power.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We join the international labor community in condemning President Trump&rsquo;s unconstitutional actions in Venezuela,&rdquo; a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aflcio\/posts\/we-join-the-international-labor-community-in-condemning-president-trumps-unconst\/1271422328356048\/\">statement <\/a>from the union reads.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NYC unions historically backed Maduro<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2534612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9f8d8ea6ed6cef7ba68ad6e96d15d0ff-scaled.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[36612,36462,5038],"class_list":["post-2534611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-maduro","tag-new-york-city","tag-unions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/9f8d8ea6ed6cef7ba68ad6e96d15d0ff-scaled.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2534611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2534611"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2534611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2534615,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2534611\/revisions\/2534615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2534612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2534611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2534611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2534611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}