On the Wednesday prior to the Democratic Debate that took place on April 14th, Senator Sanders spent his day earning an endorsement from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and standing on the picket line with Verizon workers. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton’s campaign issued a simple statement.
Sanders joined the picket line with Verizon workers who are on strike because of Verizon’s inability to come to an agreement on key issues such as the offshoring of jobs along with healthcare and retirement benefits after being in negotiation for the past ten months.
For a company which has made over $30 billion in profits while paying a tax rate of -1.8% between 2008-12 to hold their workers hostage over such important issues is exactly the type of behavior Sanders has been fighting against for decades. Sanders said of Verizon while standing on the picket line that:
“Verizon is one of the largest, most profitable corporations in this country, but they refuse to sit down and negotiate a fair contract,”
He went on to praise the striking workers by saying:
“Today, you are standing up not just for justice for Verizon workers; you’re standing up for millions of Americans who don’t have a union,”
Time and time again, Sanders has put himself center stage on the picket lines along with the real people who are being affected by the decisions of these major corporations.
Meanwhile, Secretary Clinton has voiced support for these events, but has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Verizon. These may not be direct dollars to her campaign, but they come by way of compensation for speeches and donations to the Clinton Foundation. Verizon vice presidents have also made direct contributions to Hillary for America.
The facts of her economic connection with this corporation leaves the sincerity of the statement her campaign issued up for debate:
“Verizon should come back to the bargaining table with a fair offer for their workers.”
This is just another example of Sanders’ willingness to personally put his boots on the ground in support of the middle class.
Featured Image: Getty/Frederic J. Brown
