Clinton Can't Count on Union Backing in Iowa, Despite Endorsements (report from Patrick Caldwell)

[Nanjeanne]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/01/iowa-unions-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-afl-cio
From Mother Jones
Bolding Mine

When Bill Clinton swings by the Machinists Union hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday night, he'll be flanked by a bevy of national labor leaders. It will be a fitting scene for the final night before the first votes of the Democratic presidential nomination contest, a campaign in which Hillary Clinton has wrapped up the vast majority of national union endorsements. She's received the support of 24 unions, she bragged at an event last week, representing more than 10 million of the 14.6 million unionized workers in the country.

Organized labor has been a major push for her campaign as she closes out Iowa. Last week, Hillary Clinton hosted a "Hard Hats for Hillary" event that included the presidents of the Carpenters, Ironworkers, and Federation of Government Employees, among others. She released a gauzy video on her support for unions, in which she tells their members, "A lot of the work you do may not be as well understood and appreciated as it should be."

On the ground here in Iowa, however, Clinton's labor advantage isn't quite so clear cut. There aren't polls measuring statewide union support for the two candidates, and it's notoriously difficult to forecast caucus results anyway, given how much they come down to turnout and organization. But mounting anecdotal evidence from Iowa suggests that notwithstanding the endorsements of the people atop the unions, Clinton might not be able to count on the same level of support from actual union members in Monday's caucuses.

"I know there's a lot of rank-and-file people that like Bernie Sanders," says Ken Sager, president of the Iowa AFL-CIO. Sager, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which has yet to endorse, says he's been getting about equal volumes of pro-Sanders and pro-Clinton mail—about seven piece of mail per day from the campaigns and various unions in the final days of the race—despite the fact that his wife is a member of the pro-Clinton AFSCME.

"The people that I have talked to think that he is very genuine in terms of supporting the issues that are important to workers and their families," Sager says, noting that other local chapters of the electrical union in other parts of the country have endorsed Sanders. "He talks about the things that will work in making a difference. Getting everybody to be involved."

Lance Coles, the communications director for the state's AFL-CIO, predicts that ample union support could propel Sanders to a statewide victory on Monday. "I've said that for a long time," he says. "I think Bernie's going to squeak it out here, I think he's going to pull it."

Coles' union, the American Postal Workers Union, has endorsed Sanders, and he's been active in boosting Sanders' efforts. "Come Monday night, there's going to be a lot of Bernie support," he says. "Probably a lot more than what people think."

"The Bernie [events] are like pep rallies," he adds. "They’re much more, I don't want to say agitated, but excited, there's a lot more energy in their events. Most of the stuff I see for Hillary is: one, she's always late, which pisses a lot of people off. And I understand that with Secret Service, I get it, I understand that. But a lot of people are really frustrated with that."

Last fall, when Clinton skipped the state's AFL-CIO convention while Sanders and other candidates attended, local labor leaders groused to Bloomberg Businessweek's Josh Eidelson that they were wary of Clinton, primarily over her shifting positions on free trade. "I would love to have her be the first female president," Stacey Andersen, a representative of the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union, told Eidelson, "but she’s going to have to come out a little bit stronger than what I’ve been seeing when it comes to labor-friendly issues." And as the Intercept recently noted, Clinton's union endorsements have been the decisions of the group's leadership, while the handful of unions backing Sanders have done so after directly polling their members.

On Monday afternoon, Sanders appeared at the local hall of the United Steelworkers in Des Moines (showing up on time) to assure the crowd—whose national union has yet to endorse—that he's the better candidate for organized labor. Parked outside was a red campaign bus from the National Nurses United emblazoned with an endorsement for Sanders. "The most trusted profession trusts Bernie," the side of the bus read. The Sanders staff distributed signs to the crowd reading, "Vote Labor Values, Labor for Bernie."

"I like his views and his opinions," Josh Fleenor, a 35-year-old tire builder in the local union, told me before the event. "Bring America back."

Throughout his speech, Sanders touted his record of fighting for low-wage workers, defending efforts to block trade agreements—a veiled dig at Clinton—and to expand union membership through measures such as card check. "I don't get any money, and I don't want any money, from corporations," he said. "Never got a nickel. Don't want any money from the billionaire class. But I am very grateful for the support that I've received from the Steelworkers throughout my entire political career. Thank you guys, very, very much."

"Initially I didn't think he could win," said Jerry Addy, a retired operating engineer at the event. "Now I think he can win. I just think Bernie's a better person, a better candidate. Bernie's doing retail. Hillary's doing wholesale."

[Thinkingabout]

1. It may come as a surprise but I am not following my union endorsement

Of Sanders, in fact I have not talked to another person in my union who is supporting Sanders. He sure can't count on the union endorsements he has gotten either.

[Nanjeanne]

4. That's your right. As well as those who aren't following Clinton's union leadership endorsements

That's what makes America great. Voters don't have to blindly follow any endorsements. The article was about those people the reporter has talked to in Iowa though.

[Thinkingabout]

6. Exactly, except there are more union endorsements for Hillary than

Sanders, there are also more super delegates who have endorsed Hillary than Sanders.

[virtualobserver]

7. and hopefully less people blindly following those endorsements

[Nanjeanne]

8. Exactly!

[roguevalley]

14. having been a state and local union officer for 25 years no one

in unions likes to be told who to support. They won't follow blindly just because the leadership says so. In fact, its a good way to piss off the membership, giving endorsements especially if they weren't polled like most of these leadership ass hats did.

[tokenlib]

9. And Hillary is the establishment candidate.. So what?

[Thinkingabout]

11. What is the problem, she is the most qualified candidate without

Regard to whether "established" or not.

[Gore1FL]

21. Except she isn't

And shouldn't run on that.

[Thinkingabout]

28. Currently she is the most qualified candidate running.

[hopemountain]

40. perhaps to you

but to me she is not qualified. i do not want trillions of more dollars going to war efforts. i want the money to go for jobs - here on our soil - and infrastructure.
i want to see our next president move toward single payer. bernie is the most qualified to do this because he wants to do it for us - the working class - and the poor.

are you in a union? is this what you said earlier? so, i gather your union is working for you and not against you and this is why you support hillary?

[Thinkingabout]

44. Yes I am in a union, know quiet well how unions works and

Rest assured I know why many unions have endorsed Hillary. I dont like for the trillion dollars going to Lockheed Martin and every time a bill to give more funds to the F-35 program Sanders voted to fund, maybe he should be leading an investigation into the fact of cost over runs.

I know there is some who thinks Hillary is not for single payer, she presented this to congress in the 90's, telling the truth it is not going to happen now is reality so we can put that talking point to sleep.

[hopemountain]

50. links to support and show me how

sanders is supporting the war machine, please. because it makes no sense to me that he would do so. i have family who are lockhead martin contract union laborers - so yes, funding for mechanical maintenance is important.

[Thinkingabout]

51. Sanders voting record on the F-35 is public knowledge, every vote

A congressman makes, whether did not vote, was absent, voting yea or nay.

[Gore1FL]

43. Except she isnt.

You can repeat it over and over all that you like. It won't make it true.

[Thinkingabout]

45. Saying a reality over and over does not make it wrong. I am still

Waiting on Sanders to disclose qualifications.

[Gore1FL]

46. He has over twice the number of years experience in public service

There is the service called Google. It's pretty handy.

[Thinkingabout]

47. He has never been SOS, he has not revealed his foreign affairs experience,

Hillary has met world leaders for years, she has advocated for women's and children's issues, education, health and against gun violence. And no, she has not spent most of her life in elected offices, it does not take away from her experience and abilities.

[Gore1FL]

49. I see so Hillary is more experienced in the specific areas you mention based on your own criterion.

I was trying to use a less-biased scale that actually measured experience.

Please proceed, governor.

[pangaia]

27. No. She is not the most qualified.

[cali]

10. Bernie's union endorsements are bottom up. Hillary's are top down.

[Gregorian]

15. Perfect. Nailed it.

[creatives4innovation]

25. Just curious

Were you polled? Which union and are there any hard feelings?

[Punkingal]

2. "Bernie's doing retail, Hillary is doing wholesale."

Good observation.

[tokenlib]

3. NAFTA and TPP...enough said.

And no I don't believe Hillary on TPP

[CharlotteVale]

5. K&R

[Ferd Berfel]

12. THis will, of course, be true of ALL of her 'endorsements' that were not voted

by rank-and-file. Which as we have learned is MOST OF THEM

[Uncle Joe]

13. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Nanjeanne.

[MisterP]

16. they thought they'd secure the appearance of unanimous labor backing and keep

people from digging too deep past the flunkies' glowing promises of "the most pro-labor, anti-free trade candidate EVAR"

instead they pissed off the membership, turned the repeated armtwisting of everyone from Planned Parenthood to LCW into front-page scandal, got people talking about her policies, and basically gave the image of a finger-clicking aristo who really didn't expect to run against anyone but Jeb!

[tammywammy]

17. You should limit excerpts to only 4 paragraphs. n/t

[RoccoR5955]

23. Because some of us don't like opposing opinions. n/t

[tammywammy]

26. Or prefer posters follow the copyright rules of DU

Do not copy-and-paste entire articles onto this discussion forum. When referencing copyrighted work, post a short excerpt with a link back to the original.

To simplify compliance and enforcement of copyrights here on Democratic Underground, we ask that excerpts from other sources posted on Democratic Underground be limited to a maximum of four paragraphs, and we ask that the source of the content be clearly identified. Those who make a good-faith effort to respect the rights of copyright holders are unlikely to have any problems. But individuals who willfully and habitually infringe on others' copyrights risk being in violation of our Terms of Service.

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http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=copyright

[ms liberty]

34. No, 4 paragraph's have always been the rule

Has nothing to do with any member's opinion or support for or against any politician or policy.

[mikehiggins]

18. smartest tradespeople around

Electricians tend, over the wide range, to be more logical, thoughtful and analytic of any construction trade and, certainly, most people. That is because we deal with a natural force that is completely indifferent and unforgiving. One of the facts of our lives is that by the time you realize something has gone terribly wrong, it is already far too late. An electric arc can generate temperatures only seen on the sun and electricity travels at the speed of light, literally. There is nothing that can withstand electricity because it is basically atomic energy, dealing with stuff that forms the basis of physical reality. it is, as they say, the real deal. Careless or indifferent electricians often become dead electricians

And so? Well, electricians tend to be extremely logical people (one reason we have among the highest rates of divorce in this nation) who measure twice before cutting once.

Lots and lots of electricians support Sanders. That is one reason that the leadership will tend to hold off on endorsing HRC until it makes sense to do so, if it ever does. Just joining a bandwagon is antithetical to the "sparky" experience.

Just saying...

[RoccoR5955]

24. I may be wrong but

Didn't the CWA, which has an awful lot of people who know about electricity vote to support Sanders, or am I dreaming?

[Marty McGraw]

39. I'm fairly certain the IBEW

did as well

[pangaia]

30. Jeeze, now I'm afraif to plug in my razor !!

But, I like your comment-- (one reason we have among the highest rates of divorce in this nation)

[hughee99]

19. The real value in the union endorsement is how much money

You can raise and how many volunteers can you get. Hoping the leadership's endorsement will translate into Union voters is always a crapshoot.

[jalan48]

20. It's hard to understand why union members wouldn't support a woman who has made

millions giving speeches to big Wall Street corporations. Maybe she was secretly urging these corporations to pay their workers more and stop sending jobs overseas?

[thesquanderer]

22. re: "she's always late, which pisses a lot of people off."

Some things never change.

And very bad optics in the current campaign... where she is trying to show that she cares as much for "the little people" as Sanders does.

And you know, it's that much harder to generate Sanders-supporter style enthusiasm when you've managed to put the folks in a bad mood before you come on stage.

Such a simple thing, and she can't figure out how to fix it. Or maybe even understand that it's a problem.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/02/politics/hillary-clinton-running-late-bernie-sanders/

[A Simple Game]

33. And how many times can you blame it on the Secret Service? If she or her staff can't

figure out that they have to start earlier for their first appearance so you won't be behind all day, then how can we expect her to run a country? I'm sure the leaders of China and Russia, and France all would understand her tardiness.

Then again who cares if you show up late for a job interview? You'll still get the job anyway won't you?

[frazzled]

29. A lot of the trades unions people are going for Trump.

It's like the Reagan years all over again.

[juxtaposed]

32. do you have a link?

[madokie]

41. I'd bet there is no links to that

and if there is its bunk

[frazzled]

42. Saturday NYT

Sorry for delay (was out all afternoon and evening). It also doesn't talk only of trade unions. Some snippets:

In expressing her concern, Ms. Henry reflected a different form of anxiety that is weighing on some union leaders and Democratic operatives: their fear that Mr. Trump, if not effectively countered, may draw an unusually large number of union voters in a possible general election matchup. This could, in turn, bolster Republicans in swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, all of which President Obama won twice.

The source of the attraction to Mr. Trump, say union members and leaders, is manifold: the candidate’s unapologetically populist positions on certain economic issues, particularly trade; a frustration with the impotence of conventional politicians; and above all, a sense that he rejects the norms of Washington discourse.

...

Mr. Sabato said that his members, who lean Republican but in many cases voted for Mr. Obama, would “march behind” Mr. Trump on the issue of illegal immigration.

Even more important for many union members has been the issue of economic globalization. Mr. Trump has railed against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-country trade deal the administration finished negotiating last year. And he has bemoaned the administration’s failure to stand up to what he and many union members see as China’s mercantilist policies.

He has also fulminated against plans by the company that owns Nabisco to shift some production to Mexico — “I love Oreos,” he said, “I will never eat them again” — and vowed to impose a punishing tariff on imports of Ford cars unless the company canceled a $2.5 billion investment in plants in that country.

“We like that he does not support TPP, that he has taken the position that there should be trade tariffs for a company that moves jobs overseas,” said Ryan Leenders, 30, a member of the International Association of Machinists in Washington State. Mr. Leenders, who estimated that one-quarter to one-third of his factory’s union workers were Trump supporters, said he voted for Mr. Obama in 2008 and wrote in Ron Paul in 2012.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/business/donald-trump-unions.html

[Z_California]

31. The choice has never been clearer for labor

One candidate was in favor of the disastrous NAFTA agreement and has pushed the TPP calling it the "gold standard" of trade agreements. Only once it was politically expedient did that candidate "oppose" it and then qualified her opposition by saying "as it stands today". I'm sure she didn't express that opinion in any of her speeches to Citibank, Morgan Stanley, or Goldman Sachs. She would follow through on the TPP if she were to be elected, absolutely no doubt about it.

The other candidate strongly opposed both trade agreements and has been pro-labor on every issue from the beginning of his political career.

No contest.

[jwirr]

38. And the unions have never had so many of us non-union

people working with them. Now is the time. This may never come again.

[wolfie001]

35. You sit on the board of Walkrap....

....then you ain't pro-Union. That much I'm sure! Go Bernie!!!

[Enthusiast]

36. Kicked and recommended!

[in_cog_ni_to]

37. This is why HRH Union endorsements from the various union Leaderships means jack squat.

Again, that's the 1% Leadership going against the 99% membership. The 99% is NOT going to vote for HRH.

Those thousands of Union workers will vote for Bernie....HRH will get the 10 leadership votes!

PEACE
LOVE
BERNIE

[amborin]

48. workers know HRC would approve TPP