UWS City Council Candidate Named To Coveted '40 Under 40' List

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Jeffrey Omura is running for City Council on the Upper West Side in 2021, but before he dove into New York City politics, the Carnegie Mellon graduate was making a name for himself in the actors' union world.

Omura was recently named to City & State's second annual "Labor 40 Under 40" list in recognition of that work.

An actor, Omura helped create Fair Wage Onstage, a grassroots movement for Actors' Equity that gained national attention after it secured an 83 percent wage increase for actors within the union.

The City Council candidate was recently elected to his second term as an officer of Actors' Equity Association, a labor union representing more than 50,000 stage managers and actors nationwide.

“I’m honored by this recognition, and thankful to everyone at City & State,” Omura said in a news release. “But more importantly, I’m thrilled to be among the first arts workers and arts union officers to receive this award. To be listed and recognized alongside fellow labor leaders, organizers, and workers from across New York’s industries is incredibly meaningful. We all need to start normalizing the idea that arts workers are workers, and entitled to the same fair pay, benefits, and treatment as all other workers.”

Other young leaders named to the Labor 40 Under 40 list included individuals who have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, people fighting for immigrant rights, and those who are training New Yorkers to adapt to an evolving economy.

Omura is facing off in the Upper West Side City Council race against Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Sara Lind, Zach Weiner, Maria Dianzilo, and David Gold.

You can find out more about Omura's bid for the City Council District 6 seat on his campaign website.