Remembering why unions endorse

Samuel Gompers was a founder of the American Federation of Labor, and a century ago he summarized organized labor’s response to politicians and other power-brokers: “Reward our friends and punish our enemies.”

Today’s labor leaders may be more subtle or sophisticated, deciding which candidates are friends or foes depending on their own records, and not outright requesting the rank and file to vote certain ways as much as helping to inform them of candidates’ positions and specific issues important to their union, the labor movement and working Americans.

“Why do we endorse?” asked Mark McManus, General President of the United Association

“Like it or not, our duty at the United Association and all our local unions is to our membership. We advocate for our members’ jobs and way of life. And that means getting involved in politics to ensure we are not left behind.”

He said people from the union of plumbers, pipefitters and allied trades routinely meet with manufacturers, contractors, inspectors, elected officials and trade associations, and “because we get involved, our voice is louder than ever with every one of our end-users. In politics it’s simple: Our end-user is in the White House.

“The sideline is no place for the UA to be when the stakes are this high,” he added.

Not all unions endorse all races (See sidebar for comments.) For example, because many News Guild members cover politicians, their union typically doesn’t endorse candidates to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. However, the Communications Workers of America affiliate does advocate on issues affecting its members and their work: labor law, the First Amendment, workplace safety and health, etc.

Plus, union members are no more uniform across-the-board in their beliefs than all women, all rural residents or all minority Americans agree on all things.

“That’s good,” McManus said. “Our job is to call balls and strikes and to do what is best for our membership. Our job is to sort through the noise and present the facts on the issues that directly impact United Association’s members’ jobs, wages and retirement security.

“Our membership has so much more in common than things we allow to keep us divided.”

Unions can be pivotal in elections, too, whether a municipal contest with a candidate against Prevailing Wages, or a national race where a candidate whose history shows opposition to labor.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said, “Our workers are powerful because they have something that is so rare today — the trust of those around them. Union members are credible political messengers. They can connect with each other and with the people in their communities in a way no one else can.”

Indeed, Gallup on Aug. 28 released its newest poll on how Americans feel about unions, and it shows 70% support unions (and among people younger than 30 years old, it’s 90%).

Further, labor has shown it can be effective.

Speaking with the Labor Paper, Illinois AFL-CIO President Tim Drea said, “Union members trust their unions to provide election information, including endorsements. People vote for many reasons, but we’ve seen across the board, that union members and their families look for facts about the issues and candidates that affect their work and home life. Unions provide the information they can take when they weigh their choices on the ballot.”

Unions have experience organizing, members of unions are also members of neighborhoods with community contacts, labor has for decades led get-out-the-vote efforts, and union households vote at a higher percentage than the general electorate.

In fact, according to data from Roper, union households “punched above their weight” in both 2016 and 2020. U.S. union members total about 16 million (compared to the anti-union National Right to Work Committee’s claim of 2.8 million members!), but that’s less than 12% of the work force. However, in 2016’s election 18% of ballots were from union households, and in 2020 union households made up 20% of the votes.

Peoria labor leader Bud Toft, Local President of the American Postal Workers Union Heart of Illinois area, commented, “Unions like to endorse political candidates to help members make an educated, informed decision. Some members are not aware of what politicians have voted on and not voted on. Unions are most interested in politicians who’ve voted in favor of labor issues, retention or expansion of jobs, and future union growth.

“I encourage my members to vote for whomever they choose,” Toft continued. “All I ask is for the members to consider is what is most important: keeping your and others’ good jobs paying living wages and benefits, or the need to make another gun-control law? The main point is that they vote. It is their right and unions have always fought for the rights of all workers, not just their members.”

Endorsements are part of engagement and voting is having a voice.

“What’s the point of building all this power on the ground, if we don’t use it when it really matters – when absolutely everything is on the line?” Shuler said. “When we fight, we win.”

Another decades-old slogan comes to mind as well. Fighting India’s caste system and denouncing capitalist economics, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar of the Independent Labor Party in the 1940s said activists must “educate, agitate and organize.”

 

Other voices

Americans resent being told what to do or who to vote for, and union members are no different. What IS different is fully informing the rank & file and then accepting individuals’ decisions with respect.

 “What’s said about members who do not want to be told who to vote for is true. For this reason, our Local tends not to endorse candidates on a Local level and usually defers to the work that the AFL-CIO and the UFCW International Union does, and then our Local informs members based on those recommendations.

“When our Local does endorse a particular candidate, it usually occurs by the politician scheduling to meet our entire Executive Board. However, in 20+ years with Local 536, I only remember less than a handful of candidates who even approached our Local concerning an endorsement.

“Lastly, even if our Local union does endorse, we must request any political funds from the International. We do our best to inform our membership on candidate positions concerning labor issues, but it is the member who votes on the day of the election.”

-- Marc Parker, President of Local 536 of the United Food and Commercial Workers

 

“Labor unions endorse political candidates in the hopes of forging relationships that can be mutually reinforcing. By throwing our weight behind  a candidate that puts forward policies the union supports we hopefully gain a voice for our members in the halls of power. While members politics can span the gamut, in terms of local and state affairs there are clear areas where legislation would either help or harm our members and their profession."

 -- Sarah Hurd, Illinois Nurses Association organizer

 

“As workers, we rely on politicians to protect and advance our rights as others try to take them away. It’s important that we support those who support us because our livelihoods depend on it. New threats are posed all the time, and we can’t fight against them alone.”

-- Electrician Chase Carlton, president of the West Central Illinois Labor Council

 

“We pay attention to politics day-in and day-out, not just during polarizing presidential elections. In a lot of cases, our members may not watch what happens in politics until the big elections, like the presidential, occurs.  As union representatives we spend most of our time focusing on how policy impacts our ability to put members to work and grow our unions.

“Our research is based on voting records of candidates who literally demonstrate their support for policies such as Project Labor Agreements or Responsible Bidder Ordinances, not empty promises or rhetoric. The heavy lifting we do between election cycles should give our membership the assurances that when they vote they’re casting their ballots for the union.”

-- Matt Bartolo, Business Manager of Laborers Local 165

 

“We focus mostly on school board races. We may jump into the mayoral race this time. We need improvements in our schools and in our city.  At the local level, we don’t generally endorse state or federal politicians, but the IFT and AFT select who they think is best for education, and they send that information to our members.”

-- Jeff Adkins-Dutro, President of the Peoria Federation of Teachers

 

“When unions endorse, they are not telling their members who to vote for. Unions endorse candidates because protecting workers’ rights and paychecks are heavily dependent on government policy.”

-- Retired Laborer John F. Penn

 

“Government action lays the foundation for our labor relations system.  Legislation and legal interpretations of labor law determines everything from who is a worker to how workers can protect their rights in the workplace. Furthermore, government policy provides the infrastructure of our political-economic system. Endorsing candidates for office is part of the important ways that labor unions impact state action and give workers an effective voice in the political process.”

– University of Illinois Professor Robert Bruno, Director of its Labor Education Program