America’s most powerful labor union leader announced that he is joining Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) presidential campaign, reported the Huffington Post.
After trying to work with Hillary Clinton to speak out against the trade deal fast-track authority, Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), decided Sanders was the best choice. Cohen shouldn’t have tried to tap Clinton in the first place. She’s an Establishment candidate who stands for everything that progressive labor unions are against.
“I did everything I knew how to do to get Clinton to speak out on fast track, and she wouldn’t,” said Cohen. “We begged her to speak out. There was a million ways she could have done it . . . Why was she silent on this?”
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) became a rallying point for labor unions, environmental groups, and progressive Democrats as they opposed President Obama’s trade agenda. Progressives said that TPP will cut American jobs and give unprecedented powers to international corporations.
Clinton once said TPP is the “gold standard” for trade deals, but has avoided taking a clear stance recently. Clinton’s shifty silence on TPP and fast-track authority helped Cohen decide to go with Sanders, a smart choice. He noted that Clinton is another brand-name candidate that is too far entrenched within the Establishment to facilitate any real national change.
“Without a candidate like Bernie, we’re going to get a repeat of the same stuff,” said Cohen. “Bernie is movement-building, and we need a new movement. We need to get big money out of politics.”
Cohen’s place in Bernie’s campaign will further power an already surging presidential campaign. Considering Cohen’s ideology, it’s odd that he reached out to Clinton in the first place. Luckily, he realized that Sanders is the right choice.
