Yesterday the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) union has endorsed Secretary of Labor Tom Perez for chairman of the DNC:
The Democratic Party is at a crossroads, and it needs leaders with strong progressive voices as well as unique skills and experiences to lead the party forward. While there are a number of very good candidates in the DNC chair race, Tom Perez offers the party what it so desperately needs – bold leadership and ideas, strong experience managing an organization at the state and federal level, and someone singularly focused on rebuilding the party across the country.
He understands the realities faced by hard-working families all across America who are desperate for a better life. Our members saw firsthand his passion and commitment to improving the lives of union workers as he joined with us to push for safer working conditions at poultry plants, and as he fiercely advocated in favor of the Overtime Rule. As Labor Secretary, he not only pushed for progressive reforms, he helped manage a multi-billion dollar agency with thousands of employees.
In light of the challenges the party faces, Secretary Perez has the experience and vision for the changes the DNC must make, and is the right leader who can make these changes happen. We enthusiastically support his candidacy.
www.ufcw.org/…
Today it became known that the International Association of Firefighters, the main union representing American firefighters, has broken with the AFL- CIO and endorsed Tom Perez too:
In a statement, Schaitberger praised Perez as a "a tireless advocate for civil and human rights" who can transcend what the union president called "a narrow focus on identity and cultural politics that alienated" some longtime Democrats from the party.
"Tom Perez is the person who has the right mix of personal background, progressive values, experience and total commitment to all workers, in all regions and states across the country," Schaitberger said. "To have Tom Perez as the Chair of one of our nation's two major political parties would be a significant victory for workers across America."
www.nbcnews.com/...
Another important Union that has decided to endorse Tom Perez for chair is the United Farm Workers.
Tom Perez is a civil rights leader, a labor champion and an organizer who has successfully run large organizations. That is why the United Farm Workers endorses him to lead the Democratic National Committee. This is the first time the UFW has ever backed a candidate for chair of the DNC, but these are different times and Tom Perez is a different kind of candidate.
Tom Perez knows how to organize—chairing the board of CASA de Maryland for five years where he helped build a seat at the table for immigrants in his home state of Maryland. He has been a lifelong friend of labor and immigrants. When farm workers needed him, Tom Perez stood up and fought. He understands the value of hard work starting from his days laboring on the back of garbage trucks to help put himself through college. He used his education to advance civil rights and justice, dedicating his entire life to leveling the playing field for all. Over the last eight years, Tom oversaw enforcement of civil rights laws at the Department of Justice after years of inactivity, taking on Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for discriminating against Latinos and immigrants, and using the tools and leadership of the Department of Labor to improve worker wages. He played a key role in helping farm workers in California win the same overtime pay protections as all other workers, and in doing so is helping end 78 years of race-based discrimination. Tom’s record proves he is not afraid of a fight and he understands the responsibilities that come with leadership.
We need a leader who can get things done, not one who will divide our country. We need a unifier who has stood for the very values for which Cesar Chavez fought. That person is Tom Perez.
In the meantime Tom Perez is also getting important Latino support.
The Latino Victory Fund are supporting his bid for the DNC chair, and I would urge everyone to read an excellent article written by Victoria DeFrancesco Soto over at NBC Latino:
www.nbcnews.com/…
She argues that Tom Perez is exactly the man the DNC needs now, because he appeals to Latino voters and minority voters because of his past relentless fight for civil rights, but also because he has a great appeal/ connection to the white working class because of his work as Secretary of Labor.
For everyone not really familiar with Tom Perez accomplishments as Secretary of Labor, I would recommend this article describing who Tom Perez is, and what he did standing up for workers’ rights, the 15 dollar minimum wage and overtime protection:
prospect.org/...
An institutional ball of energy, Perez comes to meetings armed with data, facts, and ideas, but he aims to listen more than speak. He is a quick study; a wonk able to quickly grasp the granular details of an issue and their potential consequences, but also zoom out and see the big picture. “He has a real curiosity, which is very good in a leader. In all my interactions with him, I’ve never felt like he’s come in to just make a speech and leave. He’s really wanted to engage people and ask a lot of questions,” says Sarita Gupta, head of the worker advocacy organization Jobs With Justice. “It’s never the Tom Perez show.”
Perez has proven himself a highly effective public face for the department. He often takes his office on the road to lift up the struggles of those he can’t necessarily help with the current rules and regulations. He’s constantly traveling across the country to meet with low-wage workers fighting for a $15 minimum wage, state and local policy-makers considering paid family leave laws, and business leaders who have enacted “high road” policies.
Perez was out in front on the Fight for 15 long before others saw its potential, understanding early on that the campaign wasn’t about raising the federal minimum wage, but rather creating momentum at the state and local levels and putting pressure on private-sector employers to boost wages. “The Fight for $15 is more than a number,” Perez has said. “This is a movement for fairness and voice.”
I think that with his experience leading a complex/ large organization, his energy and his willingness to listen to people and his plans for the DNC, Tom Perez would make the best chairman the DNC can pick this coming Februari.
mic.com/…
One of the reasons why I think he's the best choice is his experience fighting against voters suppression. Which (imo) will be one of the most important challenges the DNC faces the next 4 years.