LIUNA
September 7, 2020

LIUNA Endorses Joe Biden for President

Washington, D.C. (September 7, 2020) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today:
After discussions with our leaders and members, the General Executive Board of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) unanimously, enthusiastically, and proudly endorses Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris for President and Vice President of the United States of America. As we celebrate Labor Day 2020, and remember the strife and struggle of those who came before us, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris stand out as the blue-collar candidates.

Vice President Biden never forgets where he came from; never forgets the value of hard work and those who do it; and never forgets that the greatest asset of our country are its working men and women. During these challenging times, our nation desperately needs the steady hand and strong, inclusive leadership that Joe Biden will provide. As we face a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, the worst economic downturn in decades, and widespread social unrest, Joe will bring all Americans together to solve these problems and move forward as one united republic, with liberty and justice for all.

Joe Biden is one of us; he knows, first hand, the trials and tribulations faced by working men and women across this country. For more than 40 years, he has been a strong and steadfast working-class warrior who knows that we can never back up, never back down, never retreat, and never surrender in the ongoing battle for labor rights, civil rights, and human rights. As both a Senator and Vice President, he has been there with us, and for us, time and time again. He is a true friend of both LIUNA and the entire Trade Union Movement, and we know that as President, he will see every issue that crosses his desk, and every decision he must make, through the eyes of working families.

Senator Kamala Harris is the proud child of decent, hard-working immigrants who, like so many of our ancestors, came to this great land to build a better life for themselves and their children. Throughout her career as an elected official in California, and as a United States Senator, she has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with working people and the unions that represent them. We know that she will make a great Vice President, and she will help Joe advance a truly pro-labor, pro-union, and pro-worker agenda.

This election is nothing less than a battle for the soul of our nation and the future of the trade union movement. As President, Joe Biden will lead our great country out of the darkness of the pandemic, rebuild and restore our economy, and pursue our highest ideals and aspirations. We can count on him to stand with us on issues of critical importance to LIUNA members and their families, including infrastructure investment, prevailing wages and collective bargaining, pension and immigration reform, protecting federal and public sector workers, strengthening the U.S. Postal Service, and a comprehensive energy policy.

Over the crucial next few months, the 500,000 strong, proud, and united men and women of LIUNA will be on the front lines relentlessly working to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and leading the way to fulfill their mantra of “Build Back Better.”

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The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build the United States and Canada.
NFFE is affiliated with the International Association of Machinists
IUEC is part of North American Building Trades Unions

Biden for President
September 7, 2020

On Labor Day, Three Labor Unions: LIUNA, NFFE, and IUEC — Endorse Joe Biden For President

Today, on Labor Day, the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), and the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) came out in support of Joe Biden for President.
 
As reported in the Associated Press, all three unions represent hundreds of thousands of workers nationwide who can be mobilized to support the campaign in battleground states.

“Joe Biden is one of us; he knows, first hand, the trials and tribulations faced by working men and women across this country. For more than 40 years, he has been a strong and steadfast working-class warrior who knows that we can never back up, never back down, never retreat, and never surrender in the ongoing battle for labor rights, civil rights, and human rights. As both a Senator and Vice President, he has been there with us, and for us, time and time again. He is a true friend of both LIUNA and the entire Trade Union Movement, and we know that as President, he will see every issue that crosses his desk, and every decision he must make, through the eyes of working families,” said General President of LIUNA Terry O’Sullivan.
 
“The National Federation of Federal Employees is proud to announce its endorsement of Joe Biden for President of the United States and Kamala Harris as Vice President,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “With Joe Biden you know what you are going to get. He has stood strong with federal employees and with working people in this country for decades. We know that if Biden is elected President, he is going to be there for federal employees and for working people again. He is precisely who we need in the White House.”

And as Biden is slated to give remarks this afternoon for an AFL-CIO virtual town hall with union President Richard Trumka, the trio of endorsements on Labor Day highlight Biden’s strong labor support and his record of siding with workers and their families his entire career.

LIUNA represents over 70,000 public employees. LIUNA public employees provide critical services from health care and sanitation to road maintenance and emergency response. The National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), which represents 47,000 Mail Handlers employed by the United States Postal Service, is also affiliated with LIUNA.
 
NFFE is a national union representing approximately 110,000 blue and white collar government workers across the United States. NFFE’s mission is to advance the social and economic welfare and education of federal workers through continued work in organizing units of federal employees, representing their interests through collective bargaining, lobbying for legislative action, fighting for better working conditions, and promoting labor-management partnerships in agency decision-making.
 
IUEC, an affiliate of the North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU), represents over 25,000 members who construct, modernize, repair, and service elevatorsescalatorsmoving walkways, and other conveyances.
 
National unions representing a range of other workers and professions have also endorsed Biden, including:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA)
  • American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
  • American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
  • International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
  • National Nurses United (NNU)
  • National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)
  • Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  • Pride at Work
  • International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART)
  • International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
  • Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS)
  • Communications Workers of America, (CWA)
  • American Postal Workers Union (APWU)
  • Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
  • United Steelworkers Union (USW)
  • Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM)
  • Transportation Trades Department (TTD)
  • International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC)
  • United Farm Workers (UFW)
  • Transport Workers Union (TWU)
  • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE
  • International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE),
  • International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P)
  • Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA)
  • International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
  • United Auto Workers (UAW)
  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
  • United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters
  • National Education Association (NEA)
  • International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)
  • United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
  • American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
  • American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
  • International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers (IW)
  • Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)
  • American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA)
  • Utility Workers of America (UWUA)
  • National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO)
  • Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
  • Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ International Association (OPCMIA)
  • International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
  • International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA)
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