ALBANY, NY (readMedia)– On Saturday, June 09, 2007 the National AFL-CIO, in conjunction with the Metropolitan Detroit AFL-CIO and the Michigan AFL-CIO will hold a town hall style meeting in Detroit. The town hall meeting is part of a series across the country between the candidates for President and union members and their families. Hundreds of union members are expected to attend.
Speaking of the Town Hall meeting in Detroit, New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes stated, “The labor movement in New York has the honor and privilege of working with Senator Clinton on a daily basis. In New York, the Senator has proven time and again to be a true friend of working men and women and a champion of labor’s causes. I am confident that when our brothers and sisters in Detroit get to spend time with Senator Clinton tomorrow, they too will recognize her dedication and commitment to the goals, issues and initiatives important to working families.
“Tomorrow’s town hall meeting is the perfect venue for Senator Clinton to display her keen awareness and understanding of labor issues. I’m sure tomorrow’s event will be a huge success, both for Senator Clinton and the working men and women of Detroit.”
On May 3rd the New York State AFL-CIO issued a resolution urging the National AFL-CIO to consider Senator Clinton’s exemplary track record of working with the organized labor movement in New York on behalf of the needs and concerns of working men and women.
Below is the resolution issued on May 3, 2007.
Hillary Clinton as New York Labor’s “Favorite Sister”
Whereas, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton is one of several candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, and Whereas, as a twice endorsed candidate of the New York State AFL-CIO, Senator Clinton has consistently displayed, through countless deeds and actions, a strong commitment to the needs and concerns of working men and women, and
Whereas, through her seven years as a U.S. Senator, Hillary Clinton has worked on far reaching national legislation that would further the cause of all workers, such as supporting an increase in the minimum wage, co-sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act and the Family Medical Leave Expansion Act, and opposing CAFTA, and
Whereas, Senator Clinton has also worked diligently on local labor issues in New York that sometimes fly under the national radar but are vital to the future of local unions and rank and file members, and
Whereas, Senator Clinton has led the fight on the aforementioned local issues, such as supporting funding for the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Health Care program, calling CEO’s on behalf of numerous local unions to help expedite contract negotiations when the employer had tried to stall talks, expressing support for card-check recognition for local workers who were seeking to form a union, and has made it a priority to be supportive of unions during organizing drives and strikes, and
Whereas, the New York State AFL-CIO represents one out of every seven union members in the country, thus providing the State Labor Federation with a significant voice concerning candidates worthy of labor’s support, and
Whereas, male candidates from a home state receiving support from a group or organization are traditionally referred to as a “favorite son”, and
Whereas, the term “labor brothers and sisters” historically denotes the unity, solidarity and shared sense of purpose amongst union members, as well as their staunchest allies, therefore be it
Resolved, that the New York State AFL-CIO will consider Senator Clinton as a “favorite sister” of the New York State AFL-CIO, and be it further Resolved, that at the appropriate time, the New York State AFL-CIO will urge the National AFL-CIO to consider Senator Clinton’s extraordinary body of work on behalf of the cause, values and principles of organized labor when deciding Labor’s endorsement for President of the United States.
