In the name of working-class solidarity, five local Teamsters unions endorsed Gov. Ned Lamont for reelection despite his high-income bracket. Union members said they care more about his policy record than his bank account.  Those unions announced their support of Democratic incumbents Lamont an d Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz at a news conference on Friday that was held at at the Teamsters Local 443 headquarters at 200 Wallace St. Rocco Calo, the principal officer of Teamsters Local Union 1150, praised Lamont and Bysiewicz for passing pro-worker legislation.  “If anybody turns on a news station, or entertainment station, FOX to CNN, all we hear is about how people care about the working class of this country. And that’s bullshit,” said Calo. “It’s bullshit because when you look at the actions of those folks, it doesn’t line up to their words.”  Under Lamont, Connecticut raised the minimum wage to $16.94 per hour, created a paid family and medical leave insurance program, protected employees against captive audience meetings, and regulated warehouse management systems, supporters said on Friday.  “I’m proud of the fact that Connecticut is yet again taking the lead,” said Lamont. Calo told the Independent that endorsing Lamont was “a no-brainer.”  New Haven State Sen. and President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a vocal advocate for workers in the legislature, pushed to pass several pieces of legislation mentioned during the conference. Looney announced on Saturday his plan to retire.   As he runs for a third four-year term in office, Lamont, a Greenwich businessman and beneficiary of generational wealth, faces a Democratic primary challenge from progressive Hamden State Rep. Josh Elliott. Republicans seeking the state’s highest office include Greenwich State Sen. Ryan Fazio, former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey, and former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart. While Elliott is running to the left of Lamont, the governor said to the Independent, “The talk is cheap. Look at what Susan and I have done over the last seven years.”  Despite the Democratic challenger, Stephen French, from Teamsters Local 1150, voiced his commitment to Lamont. “We’re not backing away from a candidate who has already proven himself to support us.”  “I’ve never even spoken with him,” Calo said of Elliott. “But look, our divide in this country, in this state, is so big right now. We can’t go from one extreme to the other.”  Elliott has argued on the campaign trail that Lamont cannot represent working-class residents when he makes $54 million a year in adjusted gross income, as he did in 2021. For the Teamsters representatives at Friday’s conference, Lamont’s wealth wasn’t an issue. “I don’t care how much money he makes,” said French. “It’s not about that for me, it’s about what he does.” In their speeches, Lamont, Bysiewicz, and Calo all highlighted the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, which passed in March. The bill protects warehouse employees who work for companies like Amazon, by ensuring that surveillance and performance quotas never interfere with access to meal periods and bathroom breaks. “Folks at Amazon were getting terminated because they didn’t meet quotas that they didn’t even know existed,” said Calo. “So the warehouse protection law forces Amazon to let people know exactly what’s expected of them.” Amazon workers have yet to unionize in Connecticut. The Teamsters are working to change that.  Looking to the future, Calo wants Connecticut to pass a bill, which provides unemployment benefits to strikers—a bill that Elliott supported and Lamont vetoed in 2025.  A press release sent out by Lamont’s reelection campaign on Friday states that, in addition to winning the support of the Teamsters, Lamont has been endorsed by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, U.S. Reps. John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and Jahana Hayes, 86 Democratic Town Committee Chairs, more than 50 municipal leaders across the state, the Connecticut District Laborers’ Council, and the Connecticut Carpenters. The post Teamsters Endorse Lamont appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less