Democratic candidates appeal to union workers at Iowa labor event
ALTOONA, Iowa — 15 Democratic presidential candidates on Wednesday promised a group of Iowa union members that they would fight for their priorities if elected to the White House.
The Iowa Federation of Labor Convention was an opportunity for the presidential hopefuls to speak in front of most of union leadership in Iowa to discuss jobs, education, health care and retirement---what Iowa Federation of Labor Secretary-Treasurer Charlie Wishman called the issues that matter most to the 50 local unions that make up the group.
“Unions built middle class and will rebuild the middle class," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, in her speech to the crowd. Each candidate got about 10 minutes to make their case the union members, which amount to 100,000 Iowans, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those are key votes candidates hope to score in this competitive race with two dozen choices.
In 2016, union workers shifted towards President Trump, according to FiveThirtyEight, a website that analyzes opinion polls. Its analysis found that shift was enough to help propel Trump to victory in 2016---a reality Democrats so strongly don't want to face again in 2020 that it's a priority that eclipses all else, including a nominee that shares their positions on major issues.
All of the candidates who spoke on Wednesday vowed to fight for union workers in their administrations if elected president. They also pledged to fight for $15/hour minimum wage, expand collective bargaining rights and boost union membership, which has declined in Iowa over the last 30 years.
Some also condemned 2017 changes to Iowa's collective bargaining law by the GOP-controlled legislature, which curbed collective bargaining rights for public employees in the state.
“Here in Iowa, you’ve been on the front lines. You’ve had to deal with great governors Branstad and Reynolds and a right-wing legislature that’s gone out of it’s way to decimate you," said former Vice President Joe Biden.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who ahead of the event on Wednesday released a plan for workers, vowed his policy proposal would "essentially repeal" Iowa's collective bargaining law.
