Machinists Vote ?Present? in AFL-CIO Endorsement
June 25, 2008
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Washington, D.C., June 25, 2008 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and its affiliate, the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) today voted “present” in the highly unusual balloting among AFL-CIO union leaders to endorse a candidate for President of the United States.
“Blue-collar Democrats are born skeptics,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. “Their skepticism grew during this campaign. And to turn skeptics into supporters takes more than a perfunctory knock on the door of the House of Labor.”
TCU President Bob Scardelletti and Buffenbarger agreed that now is not the right time for an endorsement.
“We look forward to a productive conversation with Senator Obama about policies that can resonate with blue-collar Democrats,” reiterated Buffenbarger. “As they demonstrated in state after state, blue-collar Democrats respond overwhelmingly to a candidate who will fight to improve their lives. And they are just not there yet. Nor are we.”
The IAM is among the most politically active industrial trade unions in the United States, representing workers in aerospace, transportation, shipbuilding, manufacturing and defense related industries. For information about the IAM, visit www.goiam.org.
