Regarding Labor Unions, and their primary endorsements of Hillary.
disclaimer: Someone else might have written this diary with a lot more credibility than a Sanders supporter, given our rep on this site, but to my knowledge, no one has.
I’m not even going to use the term “establishment” here, but rather to point out that union leadership and card-carrying members more often than not, are definitely not on the same page.
CWA being the exception (more on this at the bottom).
excerpts:
Firefighters’ Union Backs Away From Endorsement of Hillary Clinton (NYT)
Harold A. Schaitberger, the union’s general president, informed Mrs. Clinton’s campaign manager, Robby Mook, in a telephone call on Monday. According to a union official, Mr. Schaitberger told Mr. Mook that the executive board and rank-and-file members — the latter were recently polled — did not support a Clinton endorsement.
and from Common Dreams:
Rank-and-File Teachers Object As Nation's Biggest Union Weighs Early Clinton Endorsement
This early endorsement is being defended by NEA leadership as a means of securing a more "significant role," according to the internal email, in the next administration’s public education policymaking.
However, it has spurred outright protest from many of the organization's rank-and-file members who argue that a primary endorsement excludes the majority's input, particularly those who support Senator Bernie Sanders for the nomination.
NEA members supporting Sanders "are already planning a grassroots campaign in opposition to the what they expect will be a Clinton nod," Politico reports:
In a letter to members, five educators from Wisconsin, Vermont, Massachusetts and Montana write: "More than 30,000 NEA members have shown support for Sen. Bernie Sanders to be our next president through his campaign website or various social media sites," and cite Sanders’ opposition to charter schools, support for collective bargaining rights and free tuition at public higher education institutions.
"An early endorsement for Clinton would be based only on advocacy by national and state leaders without membership input," the letter states. “Like it or not, this is our time to mobilize against an endorsement next week not to moan about it." Members are being encouraged to write to their state association protesting the early endorsement.
from In These Times:
SEIU Endorses Hillary Clinton, But Rank-and-File Activists Say Push for Bernie Sanders Isn’t Over
SEIU’s endorsement came as the union shores up a national campaign for a $15 per Clinton winning support from union leaders — but many rank-and-file members drawn to Sandersrecently as the November 14 Democratic candidates’ debate, has said that she would rather support a $12 per hour minimum wage. Her Democratic primary opponents, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, have both endorsed SEIU’s Fight for $15 movement and the call for a $15 per hour minimum wage.
Rodney Muhammad, an SEIU 1199 member in Massachusetts, echoed the contrasts between Clinton and Sanders that are often mentioned by Labor for Bernie supporters. “Being a union delegate and being deeply involved with the union, Bernie would have been the right person for the job. He’s pro-labor, he’s been on picket lines, he’s very proactive and he’s for $15 an hour. It just seems like Hillary Clinton has too many ties to Wall Street. She has not really done much to procure help for the unions over the past few years. The SEIU should have waited until after the primary to make an endorsement.”
Raw Story:
Clinton winning support from union leaders — but many rank-and-file members drawn to Sanders REUTERS
In the race for union endorsements, Clinton has more than a dozen from national unions, representing more than 10 million members. By contrast, Sanders has notched two national endorsements, for about 385,000 members.
But in many cases, there have been divisions within unions. Dozens of interviews with rank-and-file members show Sanders generating more passionate support based on his years of walking picket lines, attending social gatherings and intervening in labor disputes.
While the U.S. labor movement has shrunk in recent years, unions still represent millions of people, a potentially large source of votes. And union activists are often crucial foot soldiers for Democratic candidates, willing to put in long hours to knock on doors and help register people to vote….
Repaying Sanders for his support
In one indication of how far supporters are willing to go, Linda Horan, a retired member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, is calling fellow union members to urge them to back Sanders, even though Horan has advanced lung cancer that makes it hard for her to talk.
Bernie Sanders Gets Group Endorsements When Members Decide; Hillary Clinton When Leaders Decide
How Organizations Endorsed — good chart, check it out at above link.
For example:
That ^ there^ ladies and gentlemen, is what a solid labor endorsement looks like, and when push comes to shove, (which it will), Solidarity is the union label.