The AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest labor federation, gave Hillary Clinton its endorsement Thursday, ensuring the presumptive 2016 Democratic presidential nominee will have organized labor’s backing in the fall.
“Hillary Clinton is a proven leader who shares our values,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “Throughout the campaign, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to the issues that matter to working people, and our members have taken notice. The activism of working people has already been a major force in this election and is now poised to elect Hillary Clinton and move America forward.”
Clinton said she was “honored” to have the endorsement and vowed to fight for the interests of unions for construction workers and teachers, among others.
“We are stronger when we are investing in our country and our future. As president, I will make the biggest investment in infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System — because to build a 21st century economy, we need 21st century roads, ports, transit systems, water systems and electric grids. We will fight for good schools in every ZIP code — because all of our children deserve a chance to live up to their God-given potential,” she said.
The endorsement was not a surprise, but nevertheless a long time in coming. Clinton has received the backing of most the largest individual unions such as the Service Employees Interational Union and National Education Association. But the AFL-CIO, a coalition group, had held off on making an endorsement during the primary. Clinton was facing a stiff challenge from rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who has strong appeal among the union rank and file. Both met with the AFL-CIO’s political committee last summer to discuss the federation’s endorsement, but it declined to make one at the time.
Clinton has had a strained relationship with organized labor at times. Many still blame Bill Clinton’s signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993 for causing jobs to be outsourced to Latin America. Clinton herself is a former board member of Walmart, which organized labor detests for its opposition to unions.
Nevertheless, there was little doubt that the AFL-CIO eventually would back the Democratic candidate, as it has for decades. Clinton made strong appeals to the unions and most decided she was the best bet to win in the fall. She also reversed herself on some key issues for unions, such as coming out against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Clinton promised to continue to support labor on other issues. “We will fight to raise the federal minimum wage back to the highest it’s ever been, to finally join all other industrial nations in guaranteeing paid family leave for workers, and at last secure equal pay for women,” she said.
Lee Saunders, chairman of the AFL-CIO Political Committee, used the announcement to slam presumptive Republican candidate Donald Trump, calling him “an unstable charlatan who made his fortune scamming [workers]. Working people know that Hillary Clinton has the temperament and experience to unite all Americans in our fight to increase incomes at home and extinguish threats abroad.”
