Governor Andrew Cuomo has been energetically courting the union vote throughout this election cycle.

Recently, members of the healthcare workers' union, 1199 SEIU, received a generous boon that will result in a pay and benefits increase for hospital and nursing home workers across the Empire State--thanks to a Medicaid rate increase.

Bill Hammond of the Empire Center for Public Policy argues Cuomo is taking notes from the Pataki administration's playbook in 2002.