Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU, UFCW), which represents 100,000 U.S. and Canadian workers in retail, food processing, and other fast-growing industries, today announced it is endorsing President Barack Obama for re-election. The RWDSU Executive Board unanimously voted for the endorsement at an in-person meeting.
“President Obama has done more for working people than any President in recent memory,” said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the RWDSU. “When you examine his biggest victories—economic stimulus, healthcare reform, auto industry recovery, financial reform, pay equity reform, middle class tax relief, restoration of collective bargaining rights—it is clear that he has delivered on his central promises of hope and change. His presidency has been transformative under the most difficult of circumstances. He has been a stalwart defender of working men and women during a time of obscene obstructionism in Congress. Yet his record of progressive accomplishments has been woefully unacknowledged. He deserves more credit and gratitude.
The stakes in the 2012 Presidential election could not be higher. Millions of Americans are still reeling from the Great Recession. From the beginning, President Obama has strengthened government and advanced a bold set of policies that prioritize the needs of workers and the unemployed. And he has succeeded despite reactionary forces trying to thwart him at every turn.
Simply put, President Obama has been an underappreciated champion of working people. Over the next year, we plan to campaign vigorously for him throughout the country,” said Appelbaum.
“RWDSU and the President both know that in order to create true middle class security we must lay the foundation for a fairer economy in which everyone plays by the same rules, and hard work and responsibility pay,” said Jim Messina, President Obama’s 2012 campaign manager.
“Upon taking office, President Obama made the issue of workers’ rights – including safe, secure workplaces and access to affordable health care – a top priority. RWDSU has been at the forefront of this fight, and we are proud to have its endorsement,” said Messina.
“Our recent victory in Ohio, where we defeated one of the worst pieces of anti-worker legislation in the country, would not have been possible without President Obama and his many allies on the ground,” said Allen Mayne, Mid-West Representative of the RWDSU. “We have seen and felt his support in communities across the state. He has fought tirelessly for us from day one, and folks here want to fight tirelessly for his re-election.”
“President Obama saved the auto industry and brought it back to life here in Michigan,” said Jack Wurm, Secretary-Treasurer of the RWDSU. “He has improved the lives of countless Michigan workers, and we will never forget that. President Obama is our Negotiator in Chief, and we will proudly help re-elect him to a second term in 2012. At the bargaining table and on the shop floor, he has truly empowered all of us.”
“Many of the workers we represent in Georgia are immigrants, and President Obama has aggressively challenged anti-immigrant legislation in Georgia that has been called the worst in the country,” said Johnny Whitaker, President of the Mid-South Council of the RWDSU. “The concerns of Georgia’s immigrant workforce have been not only heard, but defended by the Obama administration. We will do everything in our power to keep Obama in the White House.”