[ad_1]
Senator Bernie Sanders is seeking support from key union leaders as he launches a campaign for the job of Secretary of Labor in the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.
A longtime union leader told CNN on Tuesday that Sanders had personally called union leaders to ask for their support, but his overtures had met with mixed reactions.
Sanders’ push follows a stepped up jockey on the powerful cabinet position from within the labor movement. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who is among those contacted by Sanders, would favor Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for the post, the senior union official said, while Michigan Representative Andy Levin has also a base of support among union leaders, especially the Communications Workers of America.
These divisions, mostly calm as union leaders considered their options, are now set to spill over into the public.
The Vermont senator’s interest in the post was first reported by Politico in October. The Sanders team did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Biden’s transition team were not immediately available to weigh in.
In public statements and in an interview with CNN ahead of the election, Sanders spoke of his desire to lead a pressure form in the Senate to send an ambitious suite of progressive laws to Biden’s office. But those plans may have been complicated by the uncertainty surrounding control of the body, after a disappointing election night for challengers in the Democratic Senate. The caucus will likely have to win both January contests in Georgia to secure a majority.
[ad_2]
Source link