Despite his dedication to higher wages and increasing union membership, one of the largest organized labor groups in Nevada has repeatedly warned its members against supporting Bernie Sanders in the upcoming Nevada caucuses.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon at a press conference hosted by the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, a group representing 60,000 workers in Las Vegas from restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. Hours before, the CWU told the press it planned on announcing its endorsement but refrained from backing any candidate at the last minute.
“We’re going to endorse our goals. That’s what we’re doing,” Geoconda Arguello-Kline, the 226’s secretary-treasurer. “We’re not going to endorse a political candidate. We respect every single political candidate right now. They’re great people.”
In the days leading up to the endorsement, the CWU has subtly jabbed at the Vermont senator over his support for “Medicare for All,” saying his healthcare plan would result in its members losing their hard-earned benefits.
“It’s disappointing that Sen. Sanders’s supporters have viciously attacked the Culinary Union and working families in Nevada simply because our union has provided facts on what certain healthcare proposals might do to take away the system of care we have built over eight decades,” said Arguello-Kline on Wednesday.
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At numerous events throughout the campaign season, the relationship between Sanders and the CWU has been tense. During a campaign stop at one of the union’s lodges in December, Sanders was interrupted by protesters during his “Medicare for all” pitch.
In the past, Sanders has avoided citing his support for a government-run healthcare system at union events. During his remarks at an AFL-CIO convention in Iowa last August, Sanders omitted his healthcare plan entirely.
Many unions, such as the International Association of Firefighters, which has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden, has called backing “Medicare for all” a nonstarter. A central feature of the former vice president’s campaign has been attacking Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts over their positions on healthcare.
Although the CWU’s jabs at Sanders, who remains the Democratic front-runner, is a setback for his campaign, the lack of an endorsement highlights the difficulty the party faces in finding an opponent to compete against him. The CWU’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton helped secure her win in the 2016 primary against Sanders, but the divided field may hand a win to him this cycle.
Polling out of Nevada remains scarce, with the latest taken a month ago. That survey showed Biden holding a slim, 1-point lead over Sanders (19% and 18%, respectively), with Warren in third with 11%.
