What are 2020 candidates saying about labor unions?

By Amanda Menas

The National Education Association is focused on preparing its members for the major role they will play in the 2020 election. NEA’s 3 million members are directly impacted by state and federal labor laws that affect their rights to advocate for their profession and their students.

Some candidates offer specific policies to support union membership, while others express their support more broadly. There is a divide between candidates on whether union workers will stay on their healthcare plans or move into a public option.

But whether they are debating safety, pay, health insurance, or retirement, all candidates agree that union organizing has helped create the American middle class and are willing to fight for it.

In their own words:

Senator Michael Bennet

FACT CHECK: 70% of Americans like the insurance they already have: https://t.co/FJQBiKRRwF

We can get to universal health care without banning the employer, union, and Medicare Advantage plans millions have now. We do it with Medicare-X. https://t.co/O2tnQTqUdn

— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) July 17, 2019

 

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Seniors don’t want their Medicare Advantage stripped away. Union members don’t want their negotiated plans stripped away. What they want is universal health care. And how we get it is with Medicare-X.

A post shared by Michael Bennet (@michaelbennet) on Jul 16, 2019 at 2:03pm PDT

 

Vice President Joe Biden

I’m sick of this President badmouthing unions. Labor built the middle class in this country. Minimum wage, overtime pay, the 40-hour week: they exist for all of us because unions fought for those rights. We need a President who honors them and their work.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 29, 2019

 

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Thank you to @NEAToday for a great discussion this afternoon on how we can work together to create #StrongPublicSchools. I can promise you that @DrBiden and I will be the best partners and fiercest advocates in the White House for America’s educators and students. #NEARA19

A post shared by Joe Biden (@joebiden) on Jul 5, 2019 at 6:48pm PDT

 

Senator Cory Booker

Massive corporations are profiting to the tune of billions of dollars and are still not providing livable wages for workers. Proud to stand with #FightFor15 today to demand $15 minimum wage, union support and fair treatment for workers and their families. https://t.co/zRQY410skZ

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) May 24, 2019

 

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My granddad was one of the first black members of the Ford UAW in Detroit. He was proud to share what the union meant for him and his family—how it fought for him, organized for him, and advocated for him—eventually enabling him to send my mom to college. So when I say that we have to do a better job making the case that we’re the party fighting for union members, I mean it. Because I know what a strong labor movement can do for American families.

A post shared by Cory Booker (@corybooker) on Mar 21, 2019 at 5:06pm PDT

 

Governor Steve Bullock

62% of jobs do not pay enough to support a middle-class lifestyle. Here’s how we fix it:

✅$15 minimum wage
✅Strengthen Social Security
✅Paid family and medical leave
✅End the assault on unionshttps://t.co/98vcQC6qkx

— Steve Bullock (@GovernorBullock) August 17, 2019

 

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Unions built the middle class in our country — and we’ve got to protect them with all we’ve got.

A post shared by Governor Steve Bullock (@governorbullock) on Aug 22, 2019 at 4:25pm PDT

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Wages have not kept up with the costs of health care, housing, and education. We need to raise the minimum wage to $15 and rebuild union membership for an economy where all workers can thrive. #Fightfor15 pic.twitter.com/OjhPATjqSl

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) June 15, 2019

 

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Thank you to IUPAT DC 91 for inviting me to sit down and talk about issues that matter to working families. More than ever, it’s important for us to stand up for organized labor and the quality union apprenticeships at the heart of these organizations.

A post shared by Pete Buttigieg (@pete.buttigieg) on Jul 16, 2019 at 3:14pm PDT

 

Secretary Julian Castro

On this #InternationalWorkersDay, let us recommit to fighting for an economy that puts people first. That means supporting unions, fighting for fair wages, protecting immigrants, and working to undo the damage of ‘right to work’ laws and the Supreme Court’s Janus decision. https://t.co/syfBRjo6yY

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) May 2, 2019

 

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I’m proud to march alongside @mcdonalds workers in Durham, NC this morning striking for fairer wages, better conditions, and the right to unionize. I’m going to join workers anywhere they’re fighting for a living wage and safe working conditions.

A post shared by Julián Castro (@juliancastrotx) on May 23, 2019 at 7:25am PDT

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio

Honored to stand with @McDonalds workers in Des Moines today in their #FightFor15. Working people deserve to be paid fair wages for their labor, period. pic.twitter.com/qCUM1OtETB

— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) May 23, 2019

 

Congressman John Delaney

4/7 Because every union in this country has fought battles to get good healthcare plans for their workers. Why do we want to be the party telling them you have to give up your healthcare in a single payor system?

— John Delaney (@JohnDelaney) May 14, 2019

 

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Even beyond making sure every American has a job, we must ensure every American can provide a high quality of life for their family by enabling them to participate in a 21st-Century economy. Check out my website johnkdelaney.com for more.

A post shared by John Delaney (@johndelaney) on Jan 29, 2019 at 9:22am PST

 

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard

I stand with the dozens of workers who have filed sexual harassment / discrimination complaints against @McDonalds, workers’ demands for union rights, and $15 hourly pay. American workers deserve to earn a living wage. #FightFor15 https://t.co/Rpv765yDxN

— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) May 23, 2019

 

Senator Kamala Harris

When Republicans attack unions, we need to remind them that unions built the middle class. People have a five-day workweek because of unions. They have sick leave because of unions — we have safe working conditions because of unions.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 3, 2019

 

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Yesterday I spent the day with Delores as part of @seiu_org’s #WalkADay. Delores is one of the hardworking people who keep the city of Detroit safe, yet her company is denying her and her colleagues the right to join a union. This is wrong. Workers deserve that basic right. Learn more about her day and fight in my instastory.

A post shared by Kamala Harris (@kamalaharris) on Aug 2, 2019 at 12:08pm PDT

 

Senator Amy Klobuchar

Unions are about the simple idea of shared dreams and shared prosperity. No matter where you come from, no matter who you know or how much money you have, you can make it in America. pic.twitter.com/vynonbs65O

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) August 15, 2019

 

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Unions are about the simple idea of shared dreams and shared prosperity.

A post shared by Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) on Aug 16, 2019 at 8:28am PDT

 

Mayor Wayne Messam

Thrilled to tour @culinary226‘s training facility in Las Vegas today. Strong unions have an even more important role than ever to serve in recruiting, training and protecting the rights and dignity of all workers. pic.twitter.com/vmcvTT2WJC

— Wayne Messam (@WayneMessam) April 10, 2019

Congressman Beto O’Rourke

Standing strong with workers across the country as we #FightFor15 during today’s day of action and every single day. At a time when unions are under attack, let’s not forget that they are the backbone of our workforce and essential to making our economy work for all. pic.twitter.com/c1t6W588Sa

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) May 23, 2019

 

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‪We need to be there for workers—all workers. That means standing up for unions and fighting for a $15 minimum wage so one job is enough; but it also means being there for the chicken processing workers who were rounded up, hogtied, and separated from their families in Mississippi. Thanks to the Iowa Federation of Labor for your continued leadership.‬

A post shared by Beto O’Rourke (@betoorourke) on Aug 21, 2019 at 2:28pm PDT

 

Congressman Tim Ryan

As President, I will make doubling union membership in the United States my top priority.

— Tim Ryan (@TimRyan) July 27, 2019

 

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We need to align the environmental incentives with the financial incentives and make sure that people can actually make money off of new technologies. These need to be union jobs that cut workers in on the deal. #DemDebate #Ryan2020

A post shared by Tim Ryan (@timryanforamerica) on Jul 30, 2019 at 9:48pm PDT

Senator Bernie Sanders

If a company engages in job outsourcing, union busting or pays poverty wages, they will not get a dime in federal contracts from a Sanders administration. https://t.co/mD3MpAi6qL

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 22, 2019

 

Congressman Joe Sestak

We must have a national commitment – that’s why I have proposed “Training for a Lifetime” of our workforce, since technology in every field changes so rapidly. In America, we currently spend less than all other developed countries on labor training – close to nothing.

— Joe Sestak (@JoeSestak) August 16, 2019

 

Tom Steyer

The labor movement has always been on the forefront of social and economic justice. Today’s struggles may look different, but the principles driving them are the same.

It’s a privilege to work with @AFSCME to build a better future, and to participate in #AFSCMEForum today. pic.twitter.com/KW6vfEv00q

— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) August 3, 2019

Senator Elizabeth Warren

We need to rebuild unions in this country. That’s why I’ve proposed a new law banning states from passing so-called right to work laws that destroy labor unions. It will make sure that unions have a front-and-center seat at the table in any trade negotiation. https://t.co/yub6fAskkA

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) April 10, 2019

 

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With bold investments, we can fight climate change, achieve the ambitious targets of the Green New Deal, and create more than a million good jobs here at home. So I have a plan to invest at least $2 trillion in federal money in American green research, manufacturing, and exporting. My plan has three parts: 1) A Green Apollo Program, investing $400 billion in clean energy research and development. Just like we invested in science during the space race in the 1960s, we need to invest in revolutionary clean energy technology. And I will require that production from this R&D takes place here in the U.S. – no excuses. 2) A Green Industrial Mobilization. I’ll commit $1.5 trillion to purchase clean, renewable, and emission-free energy products, boosting demand and spurring innovation. We will support only those American companies who manufacture here at home and treat their workers with respect. 3) A Green Marshall Plan. We should deploy U.S.-manufactured clean energy technology to every corner of the world, and I’ll commit at least $100 billion to encourage other countries to purchase American-made clean energy products. My plan will spur economic growth and create more than a million new jobs. It will help reverse the massive manufacturing job losses that have hurt middle-class families and hit Black workers and communities hardest. With big and bold investments in American research, American industry, and American workers, we can lead the global effort to combat climate change. See the full plan at the link in the bio.

A post shared by Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethwarren) on Jun 4, 2019 at 12:21pm PDT

 

Marianne Williamson

Opportunity doesn’t = outcome nor should it. But we’re fooling ourselves to think the US gives equal opportunity, when millions of kids are hungry, millions get sub par education, millions are saddled with college loans, millions lack healthcare & unions are consistently attacked

— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) August 28, 2019

 

Andrew Yang

The automation of labor has been going on for years. We automated away 4 million manufacturing jobs starting in 2000. Many of those workers left the workforce and our labor participation rate dropped. Today it is around 63.2%, near a multi-decade low and the same as Ecuador. pic.twitter.com/HRfcSIzfqd

— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) February 27, 2019

 

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Our economy is transforming in ways that are pushing more and more Americans to the sidelines. People are blaming themselves when it’s not their fault. We need to evolve and build an economy that works for people.

A post shared by Andrew Yang for President 2020 (@andrewyang2020) on Jul 20, 2019 at 1:49pm PDT