TWU president slams Eric Adams as "backstabber" over support for horse carriage ban

John Samuelsen, the international president of the powerful Transport Workers Union of America, had just won reelection at a convention in Las Vegas when he learned of Mayor Eric Adams’ announcement that he was supporting a ban on horse carriages in Central Park. For Samuelsen, whose union has fiercely opposed a ban, it was a betrayal.

“You committed to support us. You’re no better than Bill de Blasio, you backstabber,” Samuelsen texted the mayor, referring to his predecessor’s efforts to ban horse carriages. The mayor did not respond, according to a copy of the text exchange shared with City & State.

Samuelsen later said that he was “blindsided” by the mayor’s announcement on Wednesday that he was now in support of Ryder’s Law, a City Council bill that winds down the horse carriage industry by prohibiting the issuance of new licenses to operate horse drawn carriages starting June 1, 2026. Adams, while getting behind the bill introduced by Council Member Robert Holden, has issued an executive order directing the city to strengthen oversight of the industry and prepare for its end.

Samuelsen, whose union represents the 170 drivers of 60 carriages currently licensed, complained that Adams, facing a long-shot reelection bid in just a few weeks, caved to the demands of activists like NYClass who have long protested and lobbied against the horse carriage industry. The activists claim the industry is outdated, inhumane and dangerous to both people and horses – including those which have broken loose in Central Park and those that died while pulling their carriages. A 2022 poll taken after the death of Ryder, the namesake of the City Council bill, found that 71% of New Yorkers supported a ban.



https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2025/09/twu-president-slams-eric-adams-backstabber-over-support-horse-carriage-ban/408319/?oref=csny-homepage-top-story