Oregon AFL-CIO Endorses Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate

PORTLAND—The Oregon AFL-CIO, the state’s largest federation of labor unions, today endorsed Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley in his bid for U.S. Senate. Although the results of the vote are not public, the AFL-CIO requires a two-thirds vote of its members unions for any endorsement.

“Jeff Merkley is a hero for all Oregonians who work to support their families,” Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said. “He effectively fought to protect Oregon’s minimum wage, make our workplaces safer, and stop employers from abusing workers who want to join a union.”

The Oregon AFL-CIO represents more than 145,000 working men and women in Oregon. Oregon AFL-CIO members include steelworkers, teachers, electricians, nurses, truck drivers and others. They promote the interests of all working families – not just their members – in the workplace and the political arena.

“I’m thrilled to have the backing of the Oregon AFL-CIO,” Merkley said. “Working families are the backbone of the American economy. But in Gordon Smith’s and George Bush’s America, they aren’t getting a fair shake. They’ve seen their wages decline, their rights eroded, and their pensions destroyed. It’s time Congress stood up to do something about that, and that’s exactly what I’ll do as Senator.”

While their rights around the country are in decline, workers in Oregon in 2007 had a banner year in the state legislature, and Merkley’s leadership produced the most progressive session in the last 30 years. The legislature extended collective bargaining rights, strengthened workers’ right to organize, expanded unemployment laws for locked-out workers.

Outside of the workplace, working families also benefitted from Merkley’s leadership in the House. Merkley reigned in the predatory payday lending industry, helped lower the cost of medication by expanding the Oregon Prescription Drug Program, and passed the biggest increase in education funding in Oregon’s history.

The Oregon AFL-CIO’s backing is the latest in a string of labor endorsements for Merkley. The UFCW Local 555 was the first union to support Merkley, followed by the ILWU and Oregon AFSCME Council 75. Labor support is incredibly important to candidates like Merkley, who is running a progressive grassroots campaign against a very well-funded incumbent.

“Now that our members have made their voices heard, we put the full force of our voter education and mobilization program behind Jeff Merkley, starting today,” Chamberlain said. “We will work hard to spread the word to our 145,000 members, plus their family members, that Jeff Merkley is on their side.”

“We are building the largest grassroots network Oregon has ever seen,” Merkley said. “Thanks to the Oregon AFL-CIO and their 145,000 members, that effort continues to get stronger.”