More than 500 union members and their families clad in golden "Hillary for President" t-shirts gathered at a Nevada union hall to show their rousing support for Hillary Clinton.
The 500 union activists are part of the newly formed International Association of Sheet Metal, Air Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) were on hand to lend Senator Clinton their union's support in the weeks leading up to the first round of Democratic primaries.
SMART is a newly formed labor organization, which will merge the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association and the United Transportation Union into a combined membership of 280,000 on Janurary 1st. SMART will represent rail workers, bus operators and mechanics, transit workers, airline pilots and sheet metal workers employed in the construction, manufacturing, shipyard and rail industries.
The UTU, already North America's largest rail union, was the first major labor union to endorse Senator Clinton, having done so in late August.
The SMWIA is joining with the UTU in its endorsement after finding that Clinton almost doubled every other Democratic and Republican Presidential contender in a survey of the membership's Presidential preferences.
According to Michael Sullivan, General President of the SMWIA and SMART:
Those of us in the labor movement have endured great hardship over the past seven years in representing the interests of our respective members, as well as carrying the torch for all working persons and their families. Hillary Clinton understands our issues. She knows the importance of sound policies and programs and will deal fairly and intelligently in addressing the energy crisis, fair trade, quality and affordable health care, funding college and technical education and training, as well as protecting retirement security.
UTU National Legislative Director James Brunkenhoefer added:
SMART’s combined membership will work tirelessly to get the vote out in the primaries and then in the general election to make sure a Democrat is back in the White House. Every member will be asked to contribute voluntarily to our respective political action funds to help get our message across.
UTU.org
Following the endorsement, union members will be going door-to-door in Las Vegas to muster support for Clinton in Nevada's January 19th primary.