PHILADELPHIA, May 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) is pleased to announce its endorsement of Richard Lazer in his campaign for U.S. House of Representatives seat (PA-5^th District) in the United States Congress. Lazer previously worked as the Philadelphia Deputy Mayor for Labor alongside Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. Lazer is running in Philadelphia’s May 15^th Primary Election.

"I'm proud to have the support of the skilled men and women of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters,” said Richard Lazer. “The broad support that I've received from organized labor validates my belief that the issues I've been fighting for – like a single-payer healthcare system; pay equity; and ending so-called ‘right-to-work’ and ‘paycheck protection’ legislation – are the same issues that matter most to working families." 

A Philadelphia native who grew up in a pro-union family, Richard Lazer has dedicated his life to public service and support for policies to progress the working class forward. Lazer is a progressive, Democratic activist who served as Philadelphia Deputy Mayor for Labor before announcing his candidacy for Congress. According to his biography, “throughout the course of his career, he has focused on improving his community from an early age - starting at 13 when he helped organize clean up efforts to revitalize his local playground in South Philadelphia. Rich also serves on the board of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation and Philadelphia Works Inc. -- where he was a strong advocate for apprenticeship and workplace diversity.”

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters takes the issue of endorsing elected official candidates seriously and only endorses candidates who hold the same values as we do of protecting and preserving workers’ rights. We only provide endorsements to candidates that support Davis-Bacon protections, encourage the use of Project Labor Agreements, fight 1099 Worker Misclassification and support fair wages and benefits for working people.

“We are pleased to endorse Richard Lazer’s primary election bid for U.S. Congress and will fully support his campaign through get out the vote efforts,” said Northeast Regional Council of Tri-State Regional Manager Robert Naughton. “Lazer believes in supporting strong workers’ rights and advancing the rights, wages and benefits of the middleclass; the NRCC looks forward to backing him for a U.S. House seat.”

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: northeastcarpenters.org & like us on social Facebook: facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; Twitter: @nrccarpenters; Instagram: @northeastcarpenters; LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/northeastcarpenters; and Snapchat: @nrccarpenters

Contact: Tony Bianchini
Phone: 609-402-1730