Sanders picks up another union endorsement

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) picked up a major endorsement Thursday from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), becoming the third national union to back him.

CWA President Chris Shelton announced the endorsement at a press conference in Washington alongside Sanders, saying it’s “time to do away with politics as usual.”

“He is the candidate that is prepared to fight against the big banks and Wall Street, and he is the candidate that will stand with working people in this country,” Shelton said.

{mosads}During the CWA’s announcement, Sanders promised he would fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for all workers and make college tuition free, if elected.

“The American people are sick and tired of working longer hours for lower wages,” Sanders said.

“We’re going to create an economy that works for the middle class and working people of America — not just the billionaires,” he added.

The CWA, which includes more than 300,000 members, will give Sanders a strong ally in his race for labor support against Hillary Clinton.

Clinton still holds a big lead in the union endorsements primary, with 17 national labor groups in her corner, including heavyweights like the Service Employees International Union, the National Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The CWA endorsement is the third and largest so far for Sanders, who has argued that while corporate boards for unions will back Clinton, he maintains the support from many individual members.

The CWA, which says it has ground operation in 38 states and regularly turns out “tens of thousands” of campaign volunteers, said it’s backing Sanders after conducting a months-long online survey of its members.