Communications Workers of America Endorses Rep. Andy Levin for Labor Secretary

NATIONWIDE -- In a letter to President-elect Joe Biden sent Tuesday, Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Chris Shelton endorsed Michigan Congressman Andy Levin (D-09) for Labor Secretary, citing Rep. Levin’s strong credentials from the labor movement and passion for enhancing the lives of working people. CWA is the first union to endorse a cabinet member.

“Congressman Levin’s record speaks for itself when it comes to demonstrating his commitment to working tooth-and-nail for working people,” Shelton wrote. “As a labor movement organizer and staffer for over two decades, he has seen first-hand the challenges facing workers and fought hard to remedy them."

Rep. Levin served as Vice Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee during his freshman year in Congress, in which he supported key legislation to restore workers’ collective bargaining rights and raise the minimum wage. Previously, Rep. Levin served in the Department of Labor under President Clinton and drove Michigan’s “No Worker Left Behind” initiative as the state’s director of worker training. With a career dedicated to supporting working people, President Shelton highlighted Rep. Levin’s ability to begin driving a “pro-worker agenda on day one.”

“Given the disastrous last four years in which the Trump Administration has attacked the rights, well-being, and earnings of working people at every single opportunity, and given the multiple crises that our nation is facing, we need the Department of Labor to get working on behalf of our nation’s workers as soon as possible," Shelton wrote.

Leading up to the 2020 elections, CWA drove an aggressive political program aimed at turning members out to vote for progressive candidates and flipping the Senate in key swing states including Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado. With Biden’s win, CWA is promoting candidates for positions in his administration who can realize Biden’s plan to grow a stronger middle class by strengthening unions and ending the abuse of corporate power. In a statement last week, Pres. Shelton spoke to the need for a Labor Secretary who will “safeguard workers during and after the pandemic, prosecute wage theft, and secure retirees' pensions and retirement funds.”

While acknowledging the many strong candidates likely eager to serve as Labor Secretary, Pres. Shelton said of Rep. Levin in his letter to Biden, “I believe he is the best person to help move your vision forward in that role."

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