The Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council is backing Rob Menendez for the 8th District congressional seat.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Rob has made clear that when we are fighting for worker protections, for better wages, and for the right to organize, that he’ll be standing by our side,” Hudson County Building and Construction Trades Council President Pat Kelleher said in a statement.
“He is a friend not only to us, but to all working families throughout Hudson County and the 8th District. I know Rob’s values, and I know that he will stay true to those values in Washington. We are excited to help him get there and to turn out the vote in the last week of this pivotal race.”
The labor union is at the forefront of public works projects throughout Hudson, with projects including the Gateway Program’s Portal Bridge North, the Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex, Jersey City Medical Center’s expansion project, the Pulaski Skyway rehabilitation, the Hudson County School of Technology’s new facility in Bayonne.
“I am proud to have the endorsement of the Hudson County Building Trades. Everyone in Hudson County knows that a project built with their members is a high-quality project, with safe conditions, and fair pay,” noted Menendez.
“Our campaign is about strengthening families, and families in our district benefit from the advocacy of unions like the Building Trades. When unions are strong, working families are stronger. I will always stand with organized labor in the fight for good wages, better working conditions, more apprenticeship programs, and the right to organize.”
The council was founded in 1903 and has helped its 15 affiliated building trades unions to make job sites safer, deliver apprenticeship and journey-level training, organize new workers, support legislation that affects working families, and assist in securing improved wages, hours and working conditions through collective bargaining and project labor agreements.
The endorsement comes as no surprise, given that Menendez has already locked up labor support from the likes of the New Jersey Education Association, AFSCME New Jersey Council 63, IBEW Local 164, the Communication Workers of America (CWA), and the Hudson County Central Labor Council.
Menendez is favored to win next week’s June 7th Democratic primary, where he’ll look to stave off challengers from David Ocampo Grajales and Ane Roseborough-Eberhard.
