All of the Democratic presidential contenders who qualified for the Dec. 19 debate said they will not attend if a labor dispute isn’t resolved.
Workers at Loyola Marymount University in Las Vegas are in a labor dispute with Sodexo, a food services company. The union representing the workers said on Friday that “the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination will be greeted with picket lines” at the university.
The union UNITE HERE Local 11 is representing some 150 cooks, dishwashers, and other workers who prepare and serve meals for students and staff at the university under subcontractor Sodexo, which it is negotiating with for a collective bargaining agreement.
“We had hoped that workers would have a contract with wages and affordable health insurance before the debate next week. Instead, workers will be picketing when the candidates come to campus,” said Susan Minato, co-president of the union, in a statement.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Friday they would skip the debate if the dispute was still happening on Dec. 19 and were soon joined by the five other candidates who made the stage. The candidates said that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) should figure out what to do.
.@UniteHere11 is fighting for better wages and benefits—and I stand with them. The DNC should find a solution that lives up to our party’s commitment to fight for working people. I will not cross the union’s picket line even if it means missing the debate.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) December 13, 2019
I stand with the workers of @UniteHere11 on campus at Loyola Marymount University fighting Sodexo for a better contract. I will not be crossing their picket line.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 13, 2019
I won’t cross the @UniteHere11 picket line to attend next week’s debate. We must live our values and there is nothing more core to the Democratic Party than the fight for working people. I support @UniteHere11 in their fight for the compensation and benefits they deserve.
— Andrew Yang? (@AndrewYang) December 13, 2019
I won’t be crossing a picket line. We’ve got to stand together with @UniteHere11 for affordable health care and fair wages. A job is about more than just a paycheck. It’s about dignity. https://t.co/nn4tb5q8wt
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 13, 2019
I support @UNITEHERE11. If their dispute with @sodexoUSA is not resolved before the debate, I will not cross the picket line. I trust the DNC will find a solution ahead of the debate, and I stand with @LoyolaMarymount workers in their fight for fair wages and benefits.
— Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) December 13, 2019
I take the debate stage to stand up for workers’ rights, not to undermine them.
I stand in solidarity with the workers of @UNITEHERE11 at Loyola Marymount University and I will not cross their picket line.
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) December 13, 2019
As I said at my event with labor leaders here in Miami, I will not cross the picket line and I will stand with @UniteHere11 to fight for the dignity of work.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) December 13, 2019
“@UniteHere11 is fighting for better wages and benefits—and I stand with them. The DNC should find a solution that lives up to our party’s commitment to fight for working people. I will not cross the union’s picket line even if it means missing the debate,” Warren said in a statement on Friday morning.
Sanders issued a similar sentiment less than an hour later, followed by entrepreneur Andrew Yang, former Vice President Joe Biden, billionaire Tom Steyer, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
A DNC spokesperson said that the committee was looking into the issue because Tom Perez, the chairman, wouldn’t want the candidates to have to cross a picket line.
“While L.M.U. is not a party to the negotiations between Sodexo and UNITE HERE Local 11, Tom Perez would absolutely not cross a picket line and would never expect our candidates to either,” spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement sent to news outlets.
“We are working with all stakeholders to find an acceptable resolution that meets their needs and is consistent with our values and will enable us to proceed as scheduled with next week’s debate,” she added.
The debate was originally slated to be held at the University of California–Los Angeles but was shifted to Nevada because the university’s union is working on getting a new contract and called on campaigns to boycott the debate if it wasn’t moved.
This article is from the Internet:2020 Democrats Threaten to Skip Upcoming Presidential Debate