AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka told USA Today that Clinton, who has so far refused to say where she stands on the deal, will have to say where she is – and warned if she doesn’t stand with them on the issue, she may lose out on their endorsement.
“She’s going to have to answer that,” he said. “I think she won’t be able to go through a campaign without answering that and people will take it seriously and it will affect whether they vote for her or don’t vote for her.”
Trumka warned that if Clinton does back the 13-country deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership “it will be tougher to mobilize working people.”
He also said it’s “conceivable” that the 12 million-member AFL-CIO might not endorse a presidential candidate “if both candidates weren’t interested in raising wages and creating jobs.”