Leading 2020 Democrats say they won’t participate in next week’s presidential primary debate unless a union dispute is settled at the planned host site, Loyola Marymount University.
If the Dec. 19 debate in Los Angeles doesn’t include enough, or any, participants, its sponsor, the Democratic National Committee, would have to scramble to find another location.
On Friday, the candidates took to Twitter to express solidarity with UNITE HERE Local 11, which is currently on a strike against a catering service used by the university.
“[UNITE HERE Local 11] is fighting for better wages and benefits — and I stand with them,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a tweet. “The DNC should find a solution that lives up to our party’s commitment to fight for working people. I will not cross the union’s picket line even if it means missing the debate.”
Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont sent a similar message.
“I stand with the workers of [UNITE HERE Local 11] on campus at Loyola Marymount University fighting Sodexo for a better contract,” he wrote. “I will not be crossing their picket line.”
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the latest candidate to qualify for the debate, also said he wouldn’t be participating in the debate unless a contract is settled between the two parties.
“I won’t cross the @UNITEHERE11 picket line to attend next week’s debate. We must live our values and there is nothing more core to the Democratic Party than the fight for working people,” Yang wrote. “I support @UNITEHERE11 in their fight for the compensation and benefits they deserve.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden said he won’t appear either.
“I won’t be crossing a picket line. We’ve got to stand together with @UNITEHERE11 for affordable health care and fair wages. A job is about more than just a paycheck. It’s about dignity,” Biden tweeted.
Even former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, who has not yet met the requirements to participate in the debate, called on the entire field to boycott the event.
“No candidate for the Democratic nomination should cross a picket line,” Castro wrote. “I stand with @UNITEHERE11 and urge @LoyolaMarymount to live up to its Jesuit values by respecting the needs and desires of the @sodexoUSA workers that feed their great university.”
In November, the DNC was forced to change its initial location from the University of California, Los Angeles, after a separate labor disagreement prompted Democrats to say they would not participate. The upcoming debate will be the final one for 2019, with seven candidates qualifying so far.
