Sanchez for Senate
Hot off the press from the Loretta Sanchez for US Senate campaign:
February 5, 2016 – Support from organized labor groups continues to grow for Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s bid to replace Senator Barbara Boxer in the United States Senate, with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Locals 13 and 94 both announcing their endorsements of Congresswoman Sanchez’s U.S. Senate campaign.
The two ILWU Locals – which are dual-endorsing both Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and Attorney General Kamala Harris – have cited their support for Loretta based on her two decades of fiercely fighting for organized labor not only on the floor of the United States Congress, but from behind picketing lines as well.
“Loretta has been a long-time champion and friend of organized labor in California,” stated Bobby Olvera Jr., President of ILWU Local 13. “She has the life experience, the voting record, and the qualifications that all make her an excellent candidate for the United States Senate,” he added. “She has always stood with American workers, whether it was on the floor of the House of Representatives, or behind the picketing lines. Now we stand with her in her U.S. Senate bid.”
“Congresswoman Sanchez has been an advocate for the working class her entire life and continues to promote legislation to overhaul pension systems to prevent rising costs on workers,” stated Daniel G. Miranda, President of ILWU Local 94. “She has a strong record of voting to support fair pay, quality health care, for active and retired workers.”
ILWU Local 13 (Longshore) and ILWU Local 94 (Foremen) are subsets of the nationwide ILWU, a 40,000 member-strong organization that is composed of over 60 unions in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. The organization began in 1934 as the Pacific Coast District of the ‘International Longshoremen’s Association’ before eventually evolving into the ILWU.
“The backbone of our economy is in the millions of imported and exported items that cross our borders every day. Dockworkers are at the heart of this vital process, and they deserve to have the best working conditions that are possible,” said Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. “Fair wages and good working conditions – these are not just policy positions; these are American values. I have spent 20 years fighting diligently for these values, and I will continue to do so in the United States Senate – especially for the dockworkers, longshoremen, and warehouse workers of America.”
The ILWU Locals are the latest in an ever-growing list of organized labor groups that have decided to endorse Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate, including:
• California Association of Letter Carriers
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local (IBEW) 47
• IBEW Local 440
• IBEW Local 441
• International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots
• Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association
• National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Local 303
• Sailors Union of the Pacific
• Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters
In addition to the labor groups, several Orange County elected officials, who previously endorsed Kamala Harris, are now endorsing Loretta Sanchez for U.S. Senate as well, including Huntington Beach Council Member Jill Hardy, Fullerton Council Member Jan Flory, La Palma Council Member Steve Shanahan, and Coast Community College District Board President Lorraine Prinsky. Laguna Beach City Council Member Toni Iseman and Stanton City Council Member Carol Warren, who previously only endorsed Harris, are now also backing Sanchez with dual endorsements.
