Catherwood LibraryILR School

Labor unions are eyeing the upcoming 2020 presidental race with wariness and a plan to do things differently, with several big unions having been burned during the contentious 2016 campaign when union leaders backed Hillary Clinton over the more stridently pro-union Bernie Sanders, causing dissension among union members. As Democratic contenders for the presidential nomination met early this week in Washington with union groups to seek endorsements, union leaders were working behind the scenes to generate unity and to stress that input from front-line/rank and file union members was important in selecting which candidate to back. There may be less controversy this time around due to the number of presidential contenders aiming for office, and unions may opt to forego endorsements until after the primaries have completed. The eight presidential candidates who met with union groups on Monday were nonetheless eager to propose various agendas favoring labor interests, from restricting corporate power and corporate mergers, to being critical of laws scaling back the collection of union dues, to raising salaries and fighting poverty under today's minimum wage levels.