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OPEIU, ATU Endorse Clinton for President |
Two more unions have announced their support for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the 2008 presidential election campaign.
Last week, Clinton won the support of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), and today the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) announced it would back Clinton’s campaign for the White House.
OPEIU President Michael Goodwin said Clinton’s pro-working families record was the critical factor in earning the endorsement of the 125,000-member union.
America’s working families need a leader with Hillary Clinton’s strength and experience to bring about real change. Her strong Senate record and longtime commitment to working families make her the clear choice for OPEIU and our members.
Warren George, president of the 180,000-member ATU, also praised Clinton’s record of support for working families.
Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to deliver the change that America’s working families need. She has a deep commitment to rebuilding the middle class and addressing the pocketbook issues that most matter to our members.
Hillary’s strong record of supporting working families and her detailed plans to promote economic fairness and rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, including our mass transit systems, make her the clear choice for ATU members.
Clinton has won the endorsement of eight additional unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO, including the Sheet Metal Workers (SMWIA), UTU, AFSCME, AFT, Bricklayers (BAC), Letter Carriers (NALC), Machinists (IAM) and TCU/IAM. (IAM’s endorsement of Clinton in the Democratic primaries was accompanied by an endorsement of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in the Republican primaries.)
Three national unions are backing former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) in the Democratic primaries: the Mine Workers (UMWA), United Steelworkers (USW) and Transport Workers (TWU). The Fire Fighters (IAFF) union has endorsed Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).
In August, the AFL-CIO Executive Council said it would not yet make an endorsement for a 2008 candidate, freeing AFL-CIO unions to endorse candidates for the caucuses and primaries. The AFL-CIO will continue the Working Families Vote 2008 campaign to help elect a worker-friendly Congress and president.
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It occurred to me perhaps the decision makers representing the Union and endorsed Hilary Clinton have forgotte, WHO passed NAFTA?
I will spare you the details of the socio\economic problem and just say why would the mess that has been made by NAFTA not be a major consideration when choosing a candidate?
However, if these AFL CIO UNIONS wish to continue to back and work for Hilary question, it would seem to me there is an important commitment that should be made.
Senator Clinton, will you support amendments to the NAFTA agreement that will balance the playing field for middle class America?
I would think she is knowledgeable of the NAFTA problem and the hundreds of thousand jobs lost. A woman of her legal and political background should be able to clearly see the problem and tell members, in advance, that she will promise to make changes in the NAFTA agreement.
Those kind of suggestions, for an amendments, should come from the AFL CIO and all the citizens that have been impacted by a huge loss of jobs to third world countries.
And, who is that for? FORTUNE 500!
To endorse a Presidential candidate, without having this commitment, is, IMO, NOT taking a look at the major problem
that impacts all the working class.
Senator Clinton should not be able to dodge this issue during the campaign.
Feeling the heat, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) has distanced herself from the agreement, which her husband pushed through a Democratic Congress. “NAFTA was a mistake to the extent that it did not deliver on what we had hoped it would, and that’s why I call for a trade timeout,” she now says.
(Translation: “Oops, we goofed, just overlook that little boo-boo and vote for me.”)
This is a lift from a story by the Economic Policy Institute.
Maybe this has more clarity?
According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the trade pact has failed workers in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
* In each nation, while workers’ productivity grew, their wages remained stagnant or dropped and the wealth of those at the top increased significantly.
* More than 1 million jobs that would have been created were lost in the United States.
* In Mexico, many of the new jobs that were created were low-wage with no benefits and no future.
* In Canada, the United States’s largest trading partner, wages stagnated and inequality increased.
According to a study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the trade pact has failed workers in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
* In each nation, while workers’ productivity grew, their wages remained stagnant or dropped and the wealth of those at the top increased significantly.
* More than 1 million jobs that would have been created were lost in the United States.
* In Mexico, many of the new jobs that were created were low-wage with no benefits and no future.
* In Canada, the United States’s largest trading partner, wages stagnated and inequality increased.
Wake up working America! It is time for a labor party in this great county. The only way you get things done is to do it yourself.
I have been a democrat my whole life, and now it is time for a change. So lets not sit back and say this is not right or this is wrong.
It is time for action!
Hillary Clinton is more for pushing free trade than Bush. If she’s ever elected, say goodbye to U.S. sovereignty and the U.S. Constitution and hello to a North American Union. This country needs to dump NAFTA once and for all and pull out of the WTO immediately. I can’t believe any union in this country would support ANY candidate that supports NAFTA. Dennis Kucinich is the only Democrat running that wants to undo this tragic mistake. Besides, he is the only Democrat running who wants “true” universal health care. He is not owned by the insurance companies like Hillary. Hillary winning the Democratic primary will cause a lot of people to not vote in the next presidential election. The unions in this country had better wake up soon and realize just what’s at stake. You think it’s been bad so far, you ain’t seen nothing yet!!
And lets not forget she was on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart for all those years.
I wonder if the Unions who back her have polled thier members to see who the rand and file would support?
Workers for Workers? sometimes I wonder
I respect the decision of OPEIU. It’s a tough choice, but I think it’s only fair to remind your membership of Clinton’s votes against Labor.
S. 3569—The Oman Free Trade Agreement expands the failed model of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Like NAFTA and CAFTA, the Oman agreement does not contain adequate environmental protections or enforceable protections for such core worker rights as the freedom of association. Oman is not a democracy, and its workers are unable to form independent unions or to bargain collectively. At the same time, the agreement allows any company incorporated in Oman to sue the U.S. government, undermining the ability of state and local governments to protect public health, strong communities and the environment. The bill passed June 29, 2006.
(Senator Obama also voted for the Oman Free Trade Agreement)
H.R. 6—The overhaul of the nation’s energy policy (H.R. 6) is expected to create thousands of jobs through the construction of pipelines, power plants and new nuclear power facilities. It also would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the construction, expansion or operation of any facility that imports or processes natural gas, including liquefied natural gas. The Senate passed the conference report on the bill July 29, 2005.
S. 2020—As part of the budget reconciliation process, which included tax cut and spending cut legislation, the Bush administration and congressional Republican leaders were seeking $70 billion in tax cuts, mostly for the wealthy, paid for in part by huge cuts in vital working family programs. After some changes, the Senate passed a $60 billion tax cut bill, with more than three-quarters of the benefits going to families with $100,000 or more in annual income. The bill passed Nov. 18, 2005.
H.R. 2739—U.S. and international labor and human rights activists long have fought to include strong and enforceable workers’ rights standards, including the freedom of association, in trade agreements. The U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement negotiated by the Bush administration did not include enforceable core labor standards. The agreement also contained a new temporary guest-worker program for professional workers entering the United States from Singapore. The bill passed July 31, 2003.
H.R. 2738—U.S. and international labor and human rights activists long have fought to include strong and enforceable workers’ rights standards, including the freedom of association, in trade agreements. The U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement negotiated by the Bush administration did not include enforceable core labor standards. The agreement also contained a new temporary guest-worker program for professional workers entering the United States from Chile. The bill passed July 31, 2003.
H.R 3295—The Help America Vote Act overhauls our nation’s election system by creating minimum national standards for voting machines, provisional ballots and statewide voter registration lists. The conference report passed Oct. 16, 2002, 92-2.
Here’s where my candidate stands on Labor: http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=R5yUfh7zFJA&sdig=1
Like I said, I know it’s a tough choice. I hope you’ll join me in making the right one.