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On Tue, Sep 22, 2015 at 1:43 PM, Eric Schwerin <eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
> wrote:

>
>
> http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/hillary-clinton02016-unions-delay-endorsements-213922
>
> Top unions put brakes on Clinton endorsement
> [image: hillary_clinton_AP.jpg]
>
> AP Photo
> Top unions put brakes on Clinton endorsement
>
> SEIU and AFSCME decide to hold off, in part because of a prospective Joe
> Biden candidacy.
>
> By Annie Karni <http://www.politico.com/staff/annie-karni>
>
> 09/22/15, 01:08 PM EDT
>
> Two major unions have decided to delay endorsements in the presidential
> race -- a move labor insiders attribute in part to the uncertainty Vice
> President Joe Biden’s potential run has inserted into the Democratic
> primary.
>
> The decisions are a setback for Hillary Clinton, who has been courting the
> labor giants in the hopes of an early lock down of two powerhouse unions
> that can organize millions of members and resources on the ground. And they
> come against the backdrop of a Clinton campaign show of force -- in terms
> of establishment donors, delegates and endorsements -- as Biden weighs his
> options. Adding the support of two of the most muscular unions now would
> have sent a powerful message there is little room in the race for the vice
> president.
>
> The executive board of the 2-million strong Service Employees
> International Union gathered on Sept. 16 and 17 for meetings where many had
> been expecting an endorsement for Clinton, according to union insiders,
> although a vote was not on the schedule. The board of American Federation
> of State, County and Municipal Employees -- the country’s largest public
> employee union, which endorsed Clinton in 2007 and has been expected to do
> so this year -- also held meetings in Washington, D.C., on Monday and
> Tuesday this week that presented an occasion for AFSCME to endorse.
>
> Both unions, however, chose to put off any decision and remain uncommitted
> in the 2016 race. "We are determined to take the time necessary to make
> sure every voice is heard," an AFSCME official told POLITICO.
>
> Supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hailed the delay as a victory,
> and attributed it as much to Biden’s influence on the race from the
> sidelines as Sanders’ momentum.
>
> “The hesitation on their part is likely due as much to Bernie as to Biden
> -- he throws uncertainty into the mix,” said Rand Wilson, communications
> director for SEIU local 888 in Boston, who personally supports Sanders.
> “This gives more time for the supporters of Sanders to work hard to win
> their national leadership’s support. It’s very positive.”
>
> The former president of the Communications Workers of America, Larry
> Cohen, who now serves as a campaign advisor to Sanders, said: “Both of
> those unions recognize their members are in different places, and they’re
> really encouraging their members to stay active and they’ll check in later.”
>
> Both unions could still endorse before the end of the year. The SEIU board
> next meets in November; AFSCME does not need to assemble its board to take
> a vote.
>
> Clinton has been actively courting SEIU, which represents more than 2
> million healthcare, public service and food service workers. Last month in
> Los Angeles, she met with a small group of home healthcare workers and told
> them she was in favor of improving work conditions and increasing wages.
> Back in June, she called into a conference of fast-food workers in Chicago
> to lend some support to their push for a $15 minimum wage -- although she
> stopped short of endorsing the national movement (she has since endorsed a
> $15 minimum wage for fast food workers in New York). She also appeared by
> video at a Fight for $15 convention in Detroit this summer.
>
> SEIU officials said the union has no timetable for an endorsement. Local
> leaders, they said, are still in the process of engaging members on the
> issues and candidates they support. Union officials said the polls so far
> show Clinton with the highest level of support from members, with 75
> percent of members feeling favorable toward her.
>
> But it has also faced vocal pressure from Sanders supporters to refrain
> from endorsing. Ahead of its September meeting, hundreds of SEIU leaders,
> members, retirees and staff signed a petition urging the union to hold off,
> arguing that an early Clinton endorsement would put the union in direct
> opposition to a growing movement of Sanders’ supporters fighting for
> progressive causes, like the Fight for $15.
>
> At a meeting with AFSCME in June, Clinton told the board: "Unions provide
> balance to our economy and a boost to every Americans, we're all therefore
> better off."
>
> In 2008, SEIU allowed local unions to endorse on a state-by-state basis in
> the fall of 2007. Its executive board eventually endorsed Barack Obama in
> February 2008.
>
> AFSCME, which represents 1.3 million healthcare workers, correction
> officers, sanitation workers and other public sector employees, has been
> conducting polling since spring, and livestreamed its town halls with
> candidates in Iowa. "We have created unprecedented opportunities for every
> member around the country to play an active part in this important decision
> and there is no predetermined timeline for a decision," the AFSCME official
> said.
>
> Top union officials are also looking to avoid the revolt among
> rank-and-file teachers who publicly called on the American Federation of
> Teachers to withdraw its endorsement of Clinton last July, claiming there
> had been little internal discussion with teachers before the union backed
> Clinton.
>
> “Hillary Clinton is proud of the six unions that have already endorsed her
> campaign -- representing 3 million workers -- and she looks forward to
> earning the support of more in the weeks and months ahead,” said Clinton
> campaign spokesman Jesse Ferguson.
>
> In addition to the AFT, Clinton’s campaign has scored the backing of some
> smaller AFL-CIO affiliates, such as the Machinists Union, the Roofers and
> Waterproofers Union, the Bricklayers Union, and the Plumbers and
> Pipefitters Union. On Tuesday, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and
> Joiners of America announced their endorsement of Clinton.
>
> That puts her labor support ahead of Sanders, who so far has the backing
> only of the 175,000-member National Nurses United.
> Authors:
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> Eric D. Schwerin
> Rosemont Seneca Advisors, LLC
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