Hillary Clinton recently secured her sixth union endorsement in her bid to be the Democratic nominee for president. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America has more than half a million members.
The union's president Doug McCarron called Clinton "a fighter who has consistently fought for our issues on many levels of government. We encourage her to continue her efforts regarding long-term and strategic budgeting for our country's infrastructure, implementing secure measures for pension reform, and eradicating the payroll fraud epidemic in our nation's construction industry."
I used to belong to this union for 7 years, and if I were still there, I would organize a local revolt against the union leadership. They collect union dues from it's members to finance campaigns. Clinton has bankers supporting her, Bernie Sanders only has small individual donors.
Tom Flynn, director of political and legislative affairs for the union said the union examined the "positions and electability of the various candidates" in making its decision (as though Bernie isn't electable, or holds positions acceptable to labor unions) — but in the 2008 Democratic primary, this union did not make any endorsement. So why now?
Clinton has upset some in the labor community for not coming out strongly enough against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the mammoth trade deal that unions and Bernie Sanders oppose. 81% of all Republicans in Congress (Senate and House) voted FOR fast track and TPP --- and 80% of all Democrats in Congress (Senate and House) voted AGAINST fast track and TPP.
But these labor unions endorsed Hillary, so they are voting WITH the Republicans!!!
Clinton has also picked up endorsements from the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers; the American Federation of Teachers; the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers; and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry.
The AFL-CIO labor federation, which is perhaps the most coveted union endorsement, might be unlikely to back a candidate during the contested primary. Now they don't have to, but maybe they can still contribute to Clinton's campaign. If this union had real BALLS, they wouldn't be so hypocritical and endorse Bernie ... today!
UPDATE: I just got an email that says:
ReplyDelete"Union dues can not be used for political campaigns. However, a member can voluntarily join a union PAC and donate for a union campaign effort, but a committee chooses the candidate."
I'm not sure how this works, so I may research this more for another post at a later time.
UPDATE ///////////////////////////////
ReplyDeletePOLITICO:
Two major unions have decided to delay endorsements in the presidential race -- a move labor insiders attribute in part to the uncertainty Vice President Joe Biden’s potential run has inserted into the Democratic primary. The decisions are a setback for Hillary Clinton, who has been courting the labor giants in the hopes of an early lock down of two powerhouse unions that can organize millions of members and resources on the ground.
Supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hailed the delay as a victory, and attributed it as much to Biden’s influence on the race from the sidelines as Sanders’ momentum.
“The hesitation on their part is likely due as much to Bernie as to Biden -- he throws uncertainty into the mix,” said Rand Wilson, communications director for SEIU local 888 in Boston, who personally supports Sanders.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/hillary-clinton02016-unions-delay-endorsements-213922