Unions distance themselves from
Obama economic record
Largest U.S. labor union not ready to back Hillary Clinton 2016 White
House bid
AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka praised the National Labor Relations
Board’s sweeping new rules approved Wednesday that make it easier for unions to
gain members at companies that have long rebuffed them. (Associated Press) more
>
The country’s largest labor union won’t endorse any Democrat
who has the same economic team
as President Obama and won’t be getting behind Hillary Rodham
Clinton early in the 2016 presidential race, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
said Thursday.
“If you get the same economic team, you’re going to get the
same results. The same results aren’t good enough for working people,” he said.
Mr. Trumka, who leads the AFL-CIO federation of 56 unions, with more than 12 million members, said repeatedly that the working Americans were still “hurting” amid a lethargic economic recovery.
“For most folks, it seems to be an economy
of stagnation,” Mr. Trumka said at
a breakfast with reporters hosted by The Christian Science Monitor.
As for the 2016 race to replace Mr. Obama, Mr. Trumka said the union would withhold an endorsement until the field fills out and union leaders collectively vet all the candidates, thereby avoiding a repeat of 2008, when several unions split endorsements between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama.
“We’ve signed an agreement with all the unions of the AFL-CIO [that] no
one will endorse until we decide that all of us are going to endorse,” Mr. Trumka said
told reporters.
“We will call in and question all of the candidates,” he said. “One of our biggest concerns is who is the candidate’s economic team, because if the present economic team doesn’t change, you are going get the same results.”
The AFL-CIO didn’t
endorse Mrs. Clinton in
2008, waiting until late in the contentious Democratic
primary race to get behind Mr. Obama. Other unions split endorsements between
the two.
Mr. Trumka praised
the qualifications of Mrs. Clinton, who
was secretary of state and a U.S. senator from New York. But he said that it
was “too early” to make an endorsement.
“Hillary did an
excellent job
as secretary of state. I think she is very, very qualified to be president,” he
said. “Would I say that she is the favorite now? Yes. But I think any time
anybody believes there is going to be a coronation, that’s dangerous to the
candidate.”
He said the promise of a coronation could make a candidate
complacent.
“That’s not good for the candidate, because the candidate
needs to be developing
the grass-roots system and support across the country, and the deeper you go,
the better off that candidate is,” Mr. Trumka said.
“And I think, quite frankly, that is precisely what [Mrs. Clinton] is
going to do.”
Mr. Trumka named
other potential Democratic contenders for the White House, including Maryland
Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has been aggressively laying the groundwork for a
2016 run.
Later, Mr. Trumka repeated
his indictment of Mr. Obama’s economic policies, urging Mrs. Clinton to
chart a different course.
He said Mr. Obama also had come up short on championing
pro-union policies.
“I think he’s trying,” Mr. Trumka said. “Is it enough? We’d like to see more.”
“I think he’s trying,” Mr. Trumka said. “Is it enough? We’d like to see more.”
Christian Science Monitor
Joanne
Leedom-Ackerman was a reporter for the Christian
Science Monitor, a director at the Human
Rights Watch, is a director at Refugees International, and a board member at the International
Crisis Group.
Note: Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, Refugees
International, the Roosevelt Institute, the International Rescue Committee, the Robin Hood Foundation,
and the Economic Policy Institute.
George Soros was
the chairman for the Foundation to
Promote Open Society, a benefactor at the Human Rights Watch, is a director emeritus at Refugees International, a board
member at the International Crisis Group, and a co-chair, national
finance council at Ready for Hillary.
Allida M. Black is
a co-founder of Ready for Hillary,
and a governor at the Roosevelt Institute.
Barbara Shailor
was a governor at the Roosevelt
Institute, an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, an
international director for the AFL-CIO, and an executive director
for the Solidarity Center.
Clifford S.
Asness is a director at the International Rescue Committee, was a leadership
council member for the Robin Hood Foundation, and supported same-sex
marriage in New York.
Richard L. Trumka
is the president of the AFL-CIO,
the secretary-treasurer at the Solidarity Center, a director at the Economic Policy
Institute, and was a member of the President's Council on Jobs and
Competitiveness.
R. Thomas Buffenbarger
is a trustee at the Solidarity Center, a director at the Economic Policy Institute, and an officer
for the Boy Scouts of America.
Boy Scouts of America votes
to end century-old ban on gay scouts
Penny S. Pritzker
was a member of the President's Council
on Jobs and Competitiveness, the national finance chair, fundraiser for the
2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign,
a co-chair for the 2009 Barack Obama
inaugural committee, a fundraiser, national co-chair for the 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign,
a contributor for the 2013 Barack Obama
inaugural committee, the host for the Barack
Obama fund-raising dinner, 7/2/2008, Craig M. Robinson’s basketball coach for the children's team, is , the secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Michelle
Obama is Craig M. Robinson’s sister,
and was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
R.
Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
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