Contact: Tim Waters, (412) 999-3587
PITTSBURGH – The United Steelworkers (USW) today issued the following statement from International President Leo W. Gerard after Donald Trump announced his selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence to be his running mate in the 2016 Presidential election:
“Prior to selecting Mike Pence to run with him at the top of the GOP ticket, we knew Donald Trump was the wrong candidate for American working families. Now that the presumptive Republican nominee has made his choice official, there can be no doubt.
“Pence’s record on the issues most important to workers and their families is clear. He is a huge supporter of expanding free trade through agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership that make it easier for employers to outsource production to other countries, costing American jobs.
“Mike Pence has voted for every trade agreement that ever came up for consideration during his time in Congress. He also voted to bring China into the WTO despite its record of human rights and worker rights abuses.
“Pence also supports anti-union, so-called ‘right to work’ legislation that is proven to drive wages down by making it harder for workers to organize and bargain collectively. In 2015, he signed the repeal of a longstanding Indiana statute that set a prevailing wage for most state construction projects.
“We are proud as ever to stand with Hillary Clinton because working families deserve a candidate who will stand strong with them.”
The USW represents 850,000 men and women employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in public sector and service occupations.