Elections

It Might Not Be Too Late For Hillary To Win Over Union Support

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Though many within the labor movement have already given up on her, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Tuesday it’s not too late for Hillary Clinton — but she must do better.

Trumka spoke at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. There he stated that he believed Hillary could make a good president. She must, however, do a much better job at addressing labor issues like income inequality. Beyond that she must get a handle on recent controversies she has been the subject of.

“She’s going to have to come up with that narrative,” he told reporters at the event according to New York Daily News. “If she does she can catch fire too. Plus she’s got the drag of every other issue.”

Much of the scandals involve her time as secretary of state. She has been accused of mishandling the 2012 Benghazi attacks and is now being investigated for how she handled classified information. This includes using a private server housed in her Chappaqua, N.Y. home and deletion of data and emails.

Additionally, her family’s charitable organization, the Clinton Foundation, has been accused as being nothing more than a slush fund. Some have even accused Hillary of making favorable deals with foreign entities in return for donations to the foundation.

For many within the labor movement, however, the main issue is her reluctance to firmly oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The trade deal is currently being negotiated between President Barack Obama and the leaders of 11 other Pacific nations.

Unions claim the deal will benefit corporations and special interests at the expense of working Americans and the environment. After a long delay, all the labor movement got from Hillary was a request for the president to work better with Democratic lawmakers.

As a result, Hillary has only been able to gain some traction with unions. Her primary rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, was much more adamant about his opposition. He has also made labor issues a primary focus of his campaign. In July, Sanders introduced a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Though Sanders has been able to quickly gain support among union members, leadership fear he is not electable. This, however, did stop The National Nurses United and former Communications Workers of America President Larry Cohen from endorsing him. This after many local unions already threw in their support.

Support from the labor movement is likely to mean a lot for a candidate. This is especially true of Democrats, who they usually support. It’s not just political contributions but also the ability to rally voters which make unions such a powerful force in politics.

The AFL-CIO hosted a meeting in July as part of an ongoing effort to determine which candidate to endorse. The union instead decided to delay endorsing anyone. Other labor groups are holding meetings or other initiatives to figure out  who to back.

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