One of the first major unions to support Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 White House bid has called on all 2020 campaigns to take steps to rid their organizations of sexual harassment and ensure equal pay.
National Nurses United, the country’s largest union of nurses, backed the independent Vermont senator over Hillary Clinton in 2015, citing his “proven track record of uncompromised activism and advocacy for working people, and a message that resonates with nurses.”
But NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo on Thursday said her group, which is comprised “predominantly” of women, is urging 2020 campaigns to adopt mandatory, universal policies and procedures for dealing with allegations and incidents of sexual misconduct. The NNU is also asking campaigns to guarantee pay equity among staff, Castillo said. The union’s calls come as Sanders, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, faces pressure to address concerns over issues experienced by aides during his run for the presidency.
“Sexual harassment continues to be a widespread concern that touches every corner of our society, and every workplace, including political campaigns, that have short and long-term consequences for those harmed by the harassment, as we should all have recognized by now,” Castillo wrote in a statement.
“Sexual harassment can never be treated as business as usual or swept under the rug. Apologies alone are not enough. Strong mechanisms must be put in place to prevent harassment, that include full accountability for those who engage in such reprehensible behavior and by those with oversight responsibility,” she said.
Castillo’s comments come after a letter sent by more than two dozen former female and male campaign staffers to Sanders and his top advisers requesting a meeting to discuss how a prospective 2020 campaign could avoid “the predatory culture” of his first tilt at the White House.
Sanders responded to the claims Wednesday in an interview on CNN, apologizing to any woman who felt “disrespected.”
“I think we started with three or four paid employees and, over a period of a few months as the campaign exploded, we went up to I think 1,200 employees,” the senator told the network. “And I’m not going to sit here and tell you that we did everything right in terms of human resources, in terms of addressing the needs that I’m hearing from now that women felt disrespected, that there was sexual harassment which was not dealt with as effectively as possible.”
“What I will tell you is that when I ran for re-election in 2018 in Vermont, we put forward the strongest set of principles in terms of mandatory training, in terms of women, if they felt harassed, having an independent firm that they can go to,” he said. “And I think that’s kind of the gold standard for what we should be doing. So I certainly apologize to any woman who felt that she was not treated appropriately. And of course, if I run, we will do better next time.”
Sanders, who is openly considering another presidential bid, has yet to formally announce his intention to run for higher office again.
