The Communications Workers of America union believes Bernie Sanders can beat Hillary Clinton.
The 700,000-member endorsed Sanders for president Wednesday, in a serious blow to Clinton’s aura of inevitability. It will be announced Thursday morning.
The union represents workers “across the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico, making them one of the largest unions in the US. The CWA is also one of the most active unions, represented in over 10,000 cities and towns nationwide,” US Uncut reports.
Those numbers include 300,000 active and retired members in the early caucus and primary states, whom could be deployed to campaign for the socialist senator.
According to MSNBC, the endorsement makes the CWA the largest union to back Sanders yet.
Larry Cohen, CWA’s former president, became a top union adviser to Sanders’ campaign after leaving his post in June.
The CWA is the fifth union to endorse Sanders’ campaign. US Uncut notes in November, “Sanders won the support of the American Postal Workers’ Union. Other unions endorsing the Vermont senator include the National Nurses’ Union, the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, and the National Union of Healthcare Workers.”
Other leftist unions, such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, have already sided with Clinton — much to the dismay of many of their members.
In July, EAGnews reported many NEA members were in all-out revolt when the union endorsed Clinton.
Candi Peterson, Washington (D.C.) Teachers’ Union, penned an article at Common Dreams in which several die-hard union activists appeared to be utterly befuddled by the national union’s sudden announcement.
Chicago activist Katie Osgood said, “I know many AFT members too and have not heard one person polled either.” The union claimed it polled members on their opinions.
According to the calculation of “Mr. Stevens,” only .04 percent of members were surveyed.
https://twitter.com/MrSt3v3ns/status/620081646117781504
New York City teacher Arthur Goldstein told the news site, “…AFT Link says they used telephone town halls and a web-based survey, I didn’t even know existed.”
Mary Ahern called the endorsement “B.S.”
Phil Soreneson tweeted to AFT president Rhonda “Randi” Weingarten, “glad I’m NEA, u don’t speak for me, u just made teachers’ look politically inept. Thanks for nothing,” according to Common Dreams.
Others were equally incensed:
The story isn't @rweingarten & @AFTunion 's endorsement of @HillaryClinton. The story is all the amazing teachers saying no freaking way!!!!
— lacetothetop (@lacetothetop) July 11, 2015
While others said Hillary’s endorsement will actually have a boomerang effect:
@lacetothetop This endorsement has definitely mobilized support for @SenSanders! #FeelTheBern.
— Tara Molloy-Grocki (@tmgrocki) July 12, 2015
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