Washington,
D.C. - The General Executive Council (GEC) of the International
Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron
Workers voted unanimously Friday, November 20 to endorse Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton for President of the United States.
The GEC
reviewed the qualifications of each candidate for president while coming
to its decision. While the council felt that several other candidates
align with ironworker values, none compare to Secretary Clinton when it
comes to putting those beliefs into practice. Clinton’s record of
looking out for the jobs that union members rely on was the largest
factor in the council’s decision. Her support for workers’ rights,
infrastructure investment and economic opportunity lines up with the
union’s priorities for the next administration. Secretary Clinton’s
unmatched experience in government will enable her to deliver on her
promises in ways the other candidates cannot.
Secretary Clinton’s
readiness to take on the global challenges, threats and opportunities
faced by our country also played a role in the union’s decision. The
Secretary was tested as soon as she entered the U.S. Senate by the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Then-Senator Clinton sponsored
legislation to provide for the ironworkers and others who sacrificed
their health rescuing victims and clearing rubble on “the Pile” in New
York and the Pentagon in Virginia. Between her time in the Senate and
her service as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has more post-9/11
defense and foreign policy experience than all other serious
presidential candidates, Republican and Democratic, combined.
With
many jobs connected to the energy and manufacturing sectors,
ironworkers are directly affected by new regulations on greenhouse gases
and other environmental issues. In the union’s assessment, other
candidates for president have either unconstructively denied climate
change or shown a cavalier attitude towards jobs lost due to
environmental regulation. The union expects Clinton to take a balanced
approach, protecting the public from pollution while keeping Americans
at work building the economy.
The GEC encourages all union
ironworkers to register to vote and bring their families to the polls in
2016. Besides the president, voters across the United States will
choose 12 governors, 34 senators, and countless state and local
officials. With right to work legislation on the march in states
throughout the country, 2016 is a vital year for ironworkers to make
their voices heard.
