AFSCME endorses Merkley

Jeff Merkley's Senate campaign picked up another significant labor endorsement Tuesday, as Oregon AFSCME Council 75 announced their members had voted to support him.

Merkley has already been endorsed by both the UFCW Local 555, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

Don Loving, Public Affairs Director for AFSCME, said the union's members certainly had nothing against Steve Novick, but that a historically beneficial relationship they had enjoyed with Merkley led to the endorsement.

"We've known Steve for a long time too, but Jeff is a more prudent politician in all honesty," Loving said.

While he refused to comment on how close the endorsement vote had been, Loving did expand on why he believed the majority of members had opted to support Merkley.

"I think it was the result of Jeff's long-standing support of both AFSCME positions in particular, and on union positions in general," Loving said. "He was a hundred percent for us this last session, and he's been a hundred percent for us, or close to it, the entire time he's been in the legislature, with maybe one or two bad votes ever, and they were nothing heinous."

In a statement released Tuesday, Merkley expressed his appreciation for the endorsement.

"Oregon AFSCME does great work representing the men and women who provide vital services to Oregonians," Merkley said. "I'm proud to stand up and fight for working families throughout Oregon, and I'm proud to have Oregon AFSCME right there with me."

Merkley's spokesman, Russ Kelley, echoed Loving's sentiment that a long-term working relationship had lead to the endorsement, as opposed to AFSCME simply placing their bet on the candidate they predict will be the likely victor, and acknowledged that he believes labor will play an instrumental role in the campaign.

"Labor will be a big part of both the primary, and general elections, and it's an incredibly important thing, especially in Oregon, and what you're seeing here is a recognition that Jeff has stood up for working families throughout his entire legislative career, and even prior to it," Kelley said.

Thus far, Novick has not received any union endorsements, but spokesman Jake Weigler did acknowledge that labor was a central component of Democratic politics, and said the campaign would continue to actively seek union support.

"Obviously they're an important part of the Democratic community, and we'll continue to make our case that Steve is the best candidate on working family issues, and we'll continue to actively participate in the endorsement process whenever possible," he said.