Electing Moya City Council Speaker Uplifts
Latino and Hispanic Communities
David Caraballoso
By David Caraballoso
New York City is a place
where individuals from every
corner of the Earth come to
live out their dreams and build
better lives. That diversity is
our city’s greatest strength. It
is critical that our leaders in
city government reflect what
is best about New York City,
not just because it’s the right
thing to do, but because it is
essential to ensuring the fears,
hopes, dreams, and problems
of all New Yorkers are heard
and understood by those with
power.
Born into a Cuban and Puerto
Rican family and elected
as the first Latino Vice President
of the 20,000-member
strong New York City Carpenters
Union, I believe it is vital
we fill the vacuum of highranking
Latino leaders in city
government by choosing City
Councilman Francisco Moya as
the next Speaker of the New
York City Council.
As a Latino leader of a
union, I know how important
it is to elevate all voices to leadership
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roles.
I started my career in the NYC
Carpenters Union as a member
of Local 157, the largest local
union in the country, which
covers parts of the Bronx and
Manhattan. One of my major
priorities was, and still is, protecting
hundreds of non-union
workers who are from Latino
and Hispanic communities by
organizing them into the union
where they can begin building
safe and stable careers for
themselves. That includes good
jobs with great pay and benefits.
The brothers and sisters I
organized was able to do a 180-
turn in life and live the American
Dream that people from
around the world come to NYC
for. Rather than continuing to
work on dangerous non-union
construction sites where their
diversity wasn’t valued and
they were paid subpar wages
with no benefits, they sought
out a more rewarding path.
I speak from experience.
Before I joined the union,
I had a long career as nonunion
construction employee.
I didn’t understand how transformative
a union job could be
for me. I also didn’t see someone
who looked like me rising
up in the ranks either. I
couldn’t have been more
wrong. After 15 years as a rankand
file member building up
our iconic skyline, I played an
integral role in the creation of
a new local for the next generation
of concrete workers –
Local 212. Before long, I was
elected president and I have
continued to excel.
With close to 20 years of
experience in this industry, I
have seen firsthand the struggles
of minorities in nonunion
construction. It is more important
than ever to ensure that
we create more opportunities
for our Latino brothers
and sisters. That is my primary
focus now that I am serving
as Vice President of the
NYC District Council of Carpenters.
It’s with this experience
that I will help to uplift
Latino and Hispanic workers
and leaders, just as I have been
uplifted myself.
For years, Francisco Moya
has served in the City Council
representing the 21st district in
Queens—which is comprised
of Corona, Jackson Heights,
and East Elmhurst—one of
the most diverse parts of our
city. He has shown experience
and grit, standing up to special
interests in his time in the City
Council, as well as his time
in the New York State Assembly.
As a native New Yorker,
he understands what our communities
need.
With Moya as Speaker, Latino
New Yorkers will know that
Mayor Eric Adams has a strong
partner protecting them and
their children, while creating
a more just and equitable New
York City.
Moya is the perfect person
at the perfect time for the job.
He represents what is best
about New York City and the
values that we uphold in the
union, not just for our Latino
and Hispanic members, but for
everyone.
I am proud that my union
endorsed him for New York
City Council Speaker, and I
look forward to working with
him to ensure that we continue
to foster viable pathways
for Latino and Hispanic brothers
and sisters to climb, lead,
and prosper.
That is the New York dream,
and the American dream.
David Caraballoso, Vice
President of the New York City
District Council of Carpenters
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