Labor For Bernie Sanders Activists Say They Are Undeterred By Union Endorsements of Hillary Clinton

[eridani]

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/18564/labor-bernie-sanders-union-endorsements-hillary-clinton

The grassroots network for union members aiming to secure labor endorsements for Senator Bernie Sanders, Labor for Bernie, held a conference call to an audience of 1,600 people on Wednesday night.

This is the first Labor for Bernie conference call since early September, when prepared remarks made by Sen. Sanders garnered 26,000 listeners as their candidate outlined his pro-worker platform. Since that call, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest and third-largest unions in the country, respectively, have endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Call host Rand Wilson, a Labor for Bernie volunteer who is also the communications director for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 888, mentioned this in the call.

“Some people on tonight’s call know that your union may have already made the endorsement for the other candidate,” says Wilson. “But regardless of any endorsement, the most important work right now is to keep building support for Sanders in your union at the local level.” Recently, numerous locals in the first-primary state of New Hampshire have endorsed Sanders, taking heed to what Wilson describes because of the candidates’ long history of pro-labor action.

“In 2008, Sen. Sanders was there when SEIU 560 was looking at potential layoffs. He helped us turn the pending layoffs around so they didn’t occur. Local 560 is forever grateful to Bernie for all the support over the years,” says SEIU Local 560 Secretary-Treasurer Susan Russell. Local 560 and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 490 in New Hampshire endorsed Sen. Sanders in late October.

The American Postal Workers Union has also found Sanders’ support helpful. The Vermont senator has made consistent calls for an expansion of the postal service and has advocated for postal banking, amid calls for its privatization. The New Hampshire state-level APWU, as well as locals in Massachusetts and one in Philadelphia, have endorsed Sen. Sanders, as union activists have pressed for an endorsement from the national organization.

[Omaha Steve]

1. I am a retired AFSCME member

AFSCME endorsed Hillary in 08 & 16. I was for Obama and now Bernie. Bernie could make AFSCME a two time loser on it's picks!

[malokvale77]

2. Here's hoping for the two time loser status.

Hopefully AFSCME will pick better leadership in the future.

Go Bernie and go UNION.

[MisterP]

3. "... since they'll have the votes rather than the endorsements they ignored the membership for"

[dreamnightwind]

4. Glad they are persisting

but some of the worst news so far for Bernie's campaign has been the national unions that have endorsed Hillary.

Labor is a natural fit for Bernie, and their endorsements would go a long ways toward removing Hillary's inevitability cloak, which is largely what props up her campaign IMHO.

Once people decide Bernie can win, they will have less fear of being on the wrong side of the Clintons, and that will be a game-changer. The Clintons are well aware of this which is why they have worked so hard to get the national unions to endorse early. Sucks.

[eridani]

5. And that kind of thinking served us so well in 2004

Don't go out on a limb to support candidates who are on your side of the issues--stick with the safe war hero. So our perfectly decent war hero got trashed by the Repukes, who repeated lies about his service constantly. The notion that there is some sort of safety in sticking with the establishment is just silly. The smear machine will be lined up to attack any Dem nominee, and it is up to us to use social media to fight back.

[dreamnightwind]

6. Yes I agree

However, if Clinton wins, I'm pretty sure the RW will be in non-stop attack mode, and they will have plenty to attack her with. Much of it will be things I also find unsupportable, so honestly, I'm not going to have much if any energy to defend her from their attacks, I find her policies and integrity issues reprehensible. It will be all I can do, if I can even manage to do so, to vote for her in the general should she be nominated.

Has the national SEIU endorsed yet? Bernie needs to pick up at least one of the major union endorsements.

[Fawke Em]

9. LOL... that's the cutest fly sig on here right now.

Not sure if you posted that in support of L0omix, but it fits right in with our "buggy" theme (and has a cute doggie, too!)

[dreamnightwind]

10. Yes, for Loonix, can't catch this bug.

[Enthusiast]

7. Kicked and recommended!

[KoKo]

8. Recommend!