The United Steelworkers (USW) on Wednesday endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
The steelworkers — joined by the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) and the Glass Molders, Pottery, Plastics & Allied Workers International Union (GMP) — said Clinton’s far-ranging policy experience on top of her stance on global trade were among the factors that swayed them to back the presumptive Democratic nominee.
{mosads}”Given her vast experience both with foreign and domestic policy, Hillary Clinton is a supremely qualified candidate, one of the most qualified candidates ever to seek the presidency,” said USW International President Leo Gerard.
“These unique qualifications give her the vision and commitment necessary to continue to lead this country forward,” he said.
Gerard specifically mentioned how Clinton has promised to fight for fair and free trade and is opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) being pushed by President Obama.
In response, Clinton, who officially won her party’s nomination after Tuesday’s primaries, said “steel is crucial to our economy, our manufacturing base and our national security.”
Clinton vowed, if elected, to protect workers’ rights to organize, to bargain collectively and to make large investments in the nation’s infrastructure.
“And together, we will fight to make the kinds of investments that make America’s economy grow for workers everywhere,” she said.
The USW said that while watching both parties in the primaries, the union had determined that “either of the Democratic candidates would be far superior to any Republican on the vast majority of issues important to workers and their families.”
“On virtually every issue, Secretary Clinton stands with working Americans and their families,” said UWUA President Mike Langford.
“Specifically, she has a plan to harness public and private capital to upgrade and repair our nation’s roads, bridges, energy and water infrastructure, expand public transportation and bring our schools and our communications networks fully into the 21st century,” Langford said.
The labor unions said they also support Clinton because she wants to raise the minimum wage, ensure that women receive equal pay and provide access to paid family leave, sick time and affordable child care.
“She will work hard to strengthen and expand Social Security and Medicare,” said Bruce Smith, GMP president.
“She will fight to expand access to care and protect the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from those who seek to return to a time when tens of millions of Americans had no access to medical care outside of the emergency room,” Smith said.
Going forward, Gerard said that Bernie Sanders’s supporters must play a role in pushing their issues heading into November as part of the party’s effort to defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
“They must continue to be front and center in this campaign, and we need them to continue to push Sanders’ agenda and have their voices heard on Election Day and beyond,” Gerard said.
“We must work together to defeat Trump,” he said.
Gerard said that the billionaire businessman “has seemingly worked at every turn to divide Americans along lines of race, ethnicity and gender with his racist, sexist and xenophobic statements.”
“Besides just his dangerous and un-American rhetoric, Trump has consistently proven to be on the side of the wealthy and powerful, rather than on the side of working people,” he said.
While union workers might agree with Trump on trade, Gerard said the GOP nominee “has proven himself a hypocrite.”
“He criticizes companies for moving production overseas while his own signature line of clothing is produced in low-wage countries like China, Mexico, Honduras and Bangladesh,” he said.
“He just can’t be trusted.”