The Laborers’ International Union of North America announced Tuesday that it was endorsing Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, making it the latest big union to throw its support behind the Democratic front-runner.
“LIUNA is proud to endorse Secretary Clinton for president of the United States. The strong, proud and united members of LIUNA will be on the frontlines of the 2016 elections; on the streets, knocking on doors, making calls and encouraging family, friends, and neighbors to elect Hillary Clinton as the 45th president of the United States,” said Terry O’Sullivan, the union’s president.
The union’s announcement said its rank and file members were “deeply concerned about the direction of our country” and wanted “a real leader” who can turn the economy around and create good-paying jobs. It argued that Clinton’s record shows a “tough and tested fighter for our nation and for working men and women.”
The union has a half-million members. It spent $3.6 million in support of candidates in the last election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The endorsement was something of a surprise because Clinton recently came out in opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline project, a proposal that would ship oil from Canada’s tar sands down to the Gulf of Mexico. LIUNA has been one of the loudest voices in support of the project, which would have employed thousands of its members. After several years of delays in making a decision, President Obama formally rejected it earlier this month.
The union hinted in its statement that it thought Clinton could still be persuaded to change her mind, saying it was “eager to work” with her to “encourage a real all-of-the-above approach to energy development.” It also said it wanted Clinton to repeal Obamacare’s “Cadillac tax” on expensive employer-provided health insurance. Many unions, which fought hard to secure the coverage for their members, fear the tax will cause employers to drop coverage.
Clinton has won the endorsements of several of the nation’s largest unions, including the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.
