Iron Workers Endorse Hillary Clinton for President

Washington, D.C. - The General Executive Council (GEC) of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers voted unanimously Friday, November 20 to endorse Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for President of the United States.

The GEC reviewed the qualifications of each candidate for president while coming to its decision. While the council felt that several other candidates align with ironworker values, none compare to Secretary Clinton when it comes to putting those beliefs into practice. Clinton’s record of looking out for the jobs that union members rely on was the largest factor in the council’s decision. Her support for workers’ rights, infrastructure investment and economic opportunity lines up with the union’s priorities for the next administration. Secretary Clinton’s unmatched experience in government will enable her to deliver on her promises in ways the other candidates cannot.

Secretary Clinton’s readiness to take on the global challenges, threats and opportunities faced by our country also played a role in the union’s decision. The Secretary was tested as soon as she entered the U.S. Senate by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Then-Senator Clinton sponsored legislation to provide for the ironworkers and others who sacrificed their health rescuing victims and clearing rubble on “the Pile” in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia. Between her time in the Senate and her service as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has more post-9/11 defense and foreign policy experience than all other serious presidential candidates, Republican and Democratic, combined.

With many jobs connected to the energy and manufacturing sectors, ironworkers are directly affected by new regulations on greenhouse gases and other environmental issues. In the union’s assessment, other candidates for president have either unconstructively denied climate change or shown a cavalier attitude towards jobs lost due to environmental regulation. The union expects Clinton to take a balanced approach, protecting the public from pollution while keeping Americans at work building the economy.

The GEC encourages all union ironworkers to register to vote and bring their families to the polls in 2016. Besides the president, voters across the United States will choose 12 governors, 34 senators, and countless state and local officials. With right to work legislation on the march in states throughout the country, 2016 is a vital year for ironworkers to make their voices heard.




http://www.ironworkers.org/news-magazine/news/2015/11/23/iron-workers-endorse-hillary-clinton-for-president