Another labor union just got behind Hillary Clinton.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced on Friday that it is endorsing the campaign of the former secretary of state, citing Clinton’s “long record of supporting workers’ rights stands in stark contrast to her Republican rivals, who seek to ban unions, silence workers, eliminate sensible regulations and give corporations total control over working conditions.”
The announcement by the industrial trade union was the result of a unanimous vote by union leaders and an internal random selection survey of 1,700 currently active members in which 71 percent of members chose Hillary Clinton among major Democratic candidates. Behind by a six-to-one margin, at 11 percent, was Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., followed by Vice President Joe Biden at 9 percent.
Looking at the entire presidential field of major candidates, including Republicans, Clinton outpaced every one of them by a margin “well over 2-1.” Altogether, IAM stayed in line with other unions by leaning Democratic. Clinton received support for a union endorsement of nearly 48 percent of the entire IAM membership.
“The IAM will not sit on the sidelines while this fight is so clearly underway,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. “Hillary Clinton has been a strong supporter of this union for years and she is now the target of unprecedented attacks, financed on a scale never seen before. The time to help is when help is needed most, and we intend to do just that.”
IAM has nearly 600,000 members in aerospace, manufacturing, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking, electronics and the federal sector. The news follows National Nurses United’s endorsement of Sanders on Monday and a nod for Hillary from the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s third-largest labor group, in July.
