Union support will not be easy for Biden

Vice President Joe BidenJoseph (Joe) Robinette BidenTrump Strikes 'Fearless' President of Fire Brigade After Biden On The Money Group Supports 263,000 Jobs Created in April in the United States | Warren and Dems request a survey of companies preparing their returns | Biden faces the dilemma of K Street Pence's allies: Biden, 2020 Dems "defend a socialist agenda" asserts himself as a "union man" in his quest for the Democratic nomination for the presidency, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to count on the trade union movement to carry out his first campaign.

Biden held his first campaign rally this week in a Teamster reception hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the support of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the first major union to bring his support for a candidate in the 2020 race.

Biden tarnished his image as a middle-class warrior, but union strategists say the changing dynamics of primary politics and within the labor movement have opened the door to free competition between Democratic candidates for union support.

Some union insiders say that Biden's union call could be limited to the "old guard" – highly skilled artisans, such as electricians, metallurgists and firefighters – at a time when basic energy is focused on the progressive left and a new generation. unions, often led by women or people of color who represent low-skilled workers in the public and service sectors.

"The sectors of the workers' movement that are reborn do not rush to Joe for the moment," said a Democratic strategist. "I'm not saying that they will not finish, but the labor movement takes a much more moderate approach to standing behind the candidate this time around."

Democrat contenders, including Sens. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersOn The Money: US adds 263,000 jobs in April, disappointing expectations | Warren and Dems request a survey of companies preparing their returns | Biden Faces the Dilemma of K Street Pence's Allies: Biden, 2020 Dems Advocate for a Socialist Agenda The House Climate Panel Will Study the Prohibition of Drilling Supported by 2020 Dems PLUS (I-Vt.) And Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenOvernight Energy – Presented by the Job Creators Network – Inslee unveils the first of many climate proposals for 2020 | Inslee plan gets support from a key green group | Free concert tickets are sent to the Secretary of the Interior despite ethical issues On The Money: 263,000 jobs created in April in the US, disappointing expectations | Warren and Dems request a survey of companies preparing their returns | Biden Confronted With K Street Dilemma Meets Hillicon Valley: Facebook Approaches Regulation With FTC | Legislators Push Bill to Limit Sale of Data to Border Agencies | Ocasio-Cortez supports Warren's plan to dismantle the giants of PLUS technology (Mass.) Fight hand to hand for union support.

Candidates compete for picket positions, draw union attention to social media, and organize events with local members.

The energy around the once-stagnant labor movement underscores how much the unions have been reinvigorated with a young liberal energy.

The strikes of teachers and retailers have become unavoidable for presidential candidates. And the service employee unions, with their many low-wage categories, have re-emerged as the force of liberal politics in Democratic bastions like Pittsburgh.

"In 20 years of trade union work, the labor movement has not been as energetic, which goes against the stereotypical image of what a union member looks like," said Sara Nelson, president of the union. from the Association of Trade Unions. Hostesses of the air.

"We still have great union members who have done the work traditionally done by men, and we do not give up on it. But you see a whole new brand of trade unionists getting involved, "she added.

Biden still has a good will in the trade union movement, stemming from his stint at the White House, as he was the link between President Obama and the union members.

But the Democrats who pursue him in the primary race seek to reduce this support.

Chuck Rocha, Sanders senior adviser and former United Steelworkers political director, told The Hill that reaching out to the diverse coalition of low-wage union members is the foundation of the campaign's Midwest strategy.

"The fastest growing unions in the country are employees in the service sector. They tend to be younger, more diverse and more progressive, "said Rocha. "This is a universe we will target."

Sanders, who led his campaign with veterans, showed his strength with the labor movement in 2016.

After major national organizations endorsed Clinton from the beginning, Sanders was able to withdraw support from local affiliates and gain support from several emerging union groups, such as National Nurses United (NNU), led by women.

But union leaders, many of whom feel scorched after supporting Clinton at the start of the 2016 primary, say they're taking their time before supporting a candidate this round. The NNU has not yet subscribed to the 2020 primary.

"We are conducting a very deliberative process," said Kenneth Zinn, NNU's political director. "We are in contact with all the candidates to see where they are."

Last cycle, Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham Clinton 12:30 pm report on Hill: Dems sets new deadline for full report on Mueller, as tensions explode Nadler threatens Barr to file outrage to Barr in Mueller report request Book: Obama considered Trump victory as a personal insult PLUS blocked the support of more than half a dozen of the largest unions in the country, including the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Employees of Departments and Municipalities, which together number 3 million members, before the votes of the primaries and caucuses had been thrown away.

But in the general election, Clinton did not campaign in a union hall in Michigan or Pennsylvania, and she did not campaign in Wisconsin. His margin of victory among the households living in the union ended up being much smaller in these states than in the past the Democratic candidates.

An internal poll conducted by the AFL-CIO after the 2016 elections, for example, showed that Clinton had underperformed among its members, getting 10% less votes compared to the old one. President. Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaTrump said that he had not confronted Putin as a result of electoral interference in the post-Mueller Trump call, Putin discussed the Mueller probe in the first conversation since the publication of the report. Warren shows signs of momentum after a slow start did in 2012.

The same poll showed that Trump had outperformed his party's candidate in 2012, Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyThe Morning's Morning Report – The house with stiff armaments after the Senate's debates with Moore is trying to preserve the candidacy of the "scorched earth" attacks. GOP installs a firewall for Trump on Mueller PLUS, by 3 points.

Witnessing how anxious he was to retain the working-class voters who had contributed to his victory at the White House in 2016, Trump criticized the IAFF leadership this week after the group backed Biden, retweeting nearly 60 accounts to be rebuilt. the inscription and the insistence that the members of the base union support his re-election.

"Trump found a way to tap into the frustration of those who felt abandoned by the institution and the Democratic Party," said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. "They were wondering where the Democrats were when rural America had been dug and the industries had left their states … But Trump has betrayed his promises to the middle class, so the Democrats must defend that argument and stay focused on economic problems. "

This time, many unions are taking a bottom-up approach to the approval process, inviting applicants to meet with local affiliates to ensure that the grassroots are well represented in the process, rather than leaving the decision to members of the Washington Board of Directors.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, one of the unions that supported Clinton at the start of the 2016 nominating contest, is about to launch a new process for the development of a new business. approval at its legislative conference in Washington next week.

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The machinists union's new approval process will be based on a vote by the members of the group, according to two people familiar with the plans, a significant change from its 2016 approval, which was taken after a unanimous vote of the leaders unions and an internal survey of 1,700 active members.

The American Federation of Teachers has adopted a four-step process that includes quizzes for candidates and allows for as many of them as possible to stand up to the simple members of local public assemblies so that members feel "masters of the process". Weingarten said.

"Unions follow a comprehensive process with leaders and local members and engage with as many candidates as possible," said Steve Rosenthal, former AFL-CIO Policy Director. "I do not remember ever having seen so many pro-union candidates. Unions are once again popular. It will be difficult for members to sort through this extraordinary area. "