Wary on Trade, Iowa Unions Aren't Ready for Hillary Clinton

[Purveyor]

The Democratic front-runner's reluctance to take a position on the TPP trade deal is causing some in the labor movement to move to other candidates.

Aug 6, 2015 12:02 AM EDT

At an Altoona forum Thursday afternoon, Iowa labor leaders will interview four Democratic contenders about what they’d do as president. But they won’t be joined by the one they’d most like to cross-examine: front-runner Hillary Clinton, whose equivocal stance on a trade deal they despise and is causing consternation at this year’s Iowa union confab.

“I would have liked her to be more forthright in terms of her opposition to the fast track authority,” says Iowa AFL-CIO President Ken Sagar, who blames “crappy trade deals” for thinning labor’s ranks in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. While telling Bloomberg that “many people are very excited about her candidacy,” Sagar bemoaned Clinton’s refusal to fight the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership. “If you want to be the leader of the free world, why wouldn’t you tell people what your opinion is about issues that are critical to the working people of this country?” he asked. “It doesn’t make sense to me. But hey, I’m just a working guy out here in Iowa.”

The still-unfinished TPP, which President Obama touts as a job-creator but progressive groups have blasted as a threat to labor standards and regulations, poses a challenge for the Democratic front-runner, who is skipping Thursday's Iowa AFL-CIO forum but attending a Los Angeles event with the Service Employees International Union. After being pressed on the TPP last week at a private meeting with the national AFL-CIO’s executive council, Clinton reiterated to reporters that she would judge the deal based on three tests: “does this protect American workers, does it raise wages and increase economic opportunity and is it in our national security interests.” She said she’d been hearing there may have been positive changes made in the TPP during negotiations, “but I don’t know if there have been enough changes and I won’t know until I actually see what’s been negotiated.” Clinton primary rivals Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley both oppose the deal.

“If Clinton doesn’t start giving positions and is the eventual nominee, I worry about how enthused the members will be.”
Bill Hanes, president International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Iowa State Conference

Steve Abbott, who heads the Communications Workers of America’s Iowa state council, says Clinton’s equivocation on trade is what spurred him to back Sanders. “Her lack of an answer gave me an answer,” says Abbott, who claims Clinton’s caution on the issue is helping Sanders win converts among his counterparts at other unions.

Dissatisfaction or distrust of Clinton on trade is widespread among the labor officials who make up the executive board of the Iowa AFL-CIO. “I don’t doubt at all that if elected, she would continue to pursue free trade, unrestrained negative trade,” says Bruce Clark, president of the American Postal Workers Union’s Iowa division.

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-08-06/wary-on-trade-iowa-unions-aren-t-ready-for-hillary-clinton

[ibegurpard]

1. They should be wary of her

We all should be. Especially when there are candidates much friendlier to labor issues.

[MisterP]

2. well if they want to find out what she feels on labor and trade they should vote for her twice

so she'll tell us! doy!

[jeff47]

3. That's ok, those union people can find out what she thinks after they vote for her.

We've even conveniently scheduled two debates for after they vote!