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 The committee on Monday voted unanimously to support the proposal,
three union sources told Reuters. The recommendation will be
presented at a July 29-30 meeting of the executive council of the
federation, which will make the final decision. It could reject the
recommendation and still go ahead with an endorsement, though one of
the sources said that is unlikely.
The move highlights the pressures Clinton is facing to take a tough
stand against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed free trade
deal backed by President Barack Obama but vigorously opposed by
unions who see it as detrimental to jobs and wages in the U.S.
Unions also want her to back labor-friendly policies on other
issues, such as the minimum wage and the Federal Reserve.
The length of any delay in an endorsement may depend on how
satisfied union leaders are with Clinton’s stance on TPP over the
next few months.
Clinton, as well as Democrat rivals for the party’s nomination in
the presidential race, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley, and one
of the candidates in the Republican race, Mike Huckabee, will be
grilled by union leaders on the TPP and other issues at next week’s
meeting.
 “There will not be an endorsement now,” said a source who was at the
political committee meeting on Monday. “There will be a lot of
healthy discussion about how we approach the election."
QUELLING REVOLT
Delaying an endorsement would also give the affiliated unions time
to hear from their members and let the democratic process play out
as labor eventually coalesces behind a candidate, the source said.
An endorsement now from the AFL-CIO would be a major boon to
Clinton. It would provide her with both a symbolic and practical
boost given labor’s traditional role in raising money and mobilizing
voters for the Democratic Party. That would be especially helpful to
Clinton as she seeks to build a broad coalition within her party to
fend off a challenge on her left from Vermont Senator Sanders, who
has eaten away at her lead in recent polls.
While the federation, an umbrella group of 56 unions representing
more than 12.5 million workers, is expected to support the eventual
Democratic nominee, an early nod could help Clinton build grassroots
support so that she could go into a presidential election from a
stronger position.
A request for comment to the AFL-CIO was not immediately returned.
Its President Richard Trumka said earlier this year that it was
"conceivable" that the AFL-CIO would not endorse any candidate in
the 2016 race.
The federation has been trying to quell a revolt in its ranks as
some local unions have declared their support for Sanders, who is
known for his progressive stance and who has spoken out strongly
against the TPP.
In contrast, Clinton has simply said that any final trade agreement
needs to include strong worker protections and that she will reserve
judgment until a completed deal is presented. Negotiators from the
U.S, and 11 other nations from the Pacific Rim, including Japan,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Mexico and Canada, are meeting in the
next week in Hawaii in an attempt to reach a final agreement.
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The trade deal will likely be the top issue at the two-day gathering
of the AFL-CIO, which represents workers in a wide range of
occupations, from brick layers to machinists to nurses.
The issue is a difficult one for Clinton, who was secretary of state
in Obama's first term and an influential player in the
administration's effort to build stronger ties with Asia. Obama
administration officials view the TPP as a crucial part of its
"pivot" to Asia.
But Clinton has found some support, as well. The American Federation
of Teachers earlier this month announced its endorsement of her –
despite a request from Trumka recently that the affiliated unions
hold off on such moves until the federation makes its own pick. The
endorsement was contentious within the AFT, with a number of members
posting angry comments to the union’s Facebook page after the
decision was announced.
Even if the federation holds off on its endorsement, more of the
affiliated unions could pick candidates soon.
At a meeting of the Utility Workers Union of America in Florida this
week, Bernie Sanders won 65 percent of the vote in cell phone poll
of the 400 elected delegates to the convention. Clinton won 23
percent, with Martin O’Malley taking 7 percent and the combined
Republican field winning 5 percent.
Still, some labor leaders suggest Sanders is highly unlikely to get
official AFL-CIO backing unless he brings off a shock win and
defeats Clinton to become the party’s nominee. Most unions are
expected to endorse Clinton if, as widely expected, she gets the
nomination.
“At the end of the day there’s not going to be a split,” Thomas
Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers, told Reuters earlier this month.
“I don’t see any union running to any Republican candidate.”
(Reporting by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Martin Howell)
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