(Editor’s note: This story was updated June 7 at 7:50 p.m.)
BURLINGTON — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Matt Dunne tallied two coveted labor endorsements Tuesday, one from the executive board of the Vermont Labor Council AFL-CIO and the other from the Vermont State Employees’ Association.
The state workers union’s legislative committee had previously backed Democrat Peter Galbraith, but the board of trustees made the final endorsement after a straw poll among the full membership.
Dunne also received endorsements Tuesday from more than half of Burlington’s 12 city councilors: all four Progressives, two Democrats and an independent.
Standing with several councilors, campaign staffers and volunteers outside his newly opened campaign office on College Street in downtown Burlington, Dunne said these endorsements mark a new phase in this campaign.
The August primary is in nine weeks.
Progressive City Council President Jane Knodell said Dunne won her support with his early endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in the Democratic presidential primary.
Knodell said Dunne endorsed Sanders at a time when other Democratic candidates hung back — a clear reference to former Transportation Secretary Sue Minter, who waited to endorse Sanders until a speech at his victory party the night of the Vermont presidential primary.
The state employees union, which represents close to 6,800 members, released a full slate of endorsements Tuesday, and Dunne topped the ticket.
The union said in a news release that it relied on an “unprecedented” and inclusive process that included candidate forums and the straw poll of its membership. Dunne performed well in the straw poll, according to Steve Howard, VSEA executive director.
“Matt Dunne was the first candidate to say ‘enough is enough’ and call on the Shumlin administration to back the union’s last best offer” when the VSEA was in negotiations with the administration earlier this year, Howard said.
Howard said the VSEA sees Dunne as someone who can run a viable campaign, and whom members can trust to keep his word when it comes to honoring collective bargaining.
“He’s not someone who’s suddenly going to ask us to open up our contract,” Howard said, something the Shumlin administration did this year in the face of budget challenges.
When the VSEA legislative committee endorsed Galbraith, it did not have the benefit of the straw poll. That committee based its decision on a review of candidate questionnaires, Howard said, adding that Galbraith had detailed and specific answers that resonated with the committee.
The VSEA board of trustees makes the union’s final endorsement, and it selected Dunne. A two-thirds majority of the legislative committee could have overturned that decision, but the panel chose to go with Dunne, Howard said.
Ben Johnson, president of the Vermont AFL-CIO, said primary endorsements were unusual for the union, which represents more than 10,000 workers in the state. However, he added that “there’s a lot at stake in this year’s election, and working people deserve a governor who will stand up for them in Montpelier.”
“Our campaign is fighting for the middle class, because despite some legislative achievements over the last several years, our beautiful state is struggling with rising poverty and stagnating incomes,” Dunne said in a statement Tuesday announcing the AFL-CIO endorsement.
He has taken a number of pro-labor positions in his primary campaign, including support for raising the minimum wage, ensuring universal health care and strengthening protections for workers’ retirement benefits.
Dunne criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Scott, who in a recent questionnaire from the Vermont State Employees’ Association offered support for “right to work” legislation, which weakens the bargaining power of unions.
“Nationally, anti-worker laws have led to stagnating wages and a shrinking middle class. They have no place in Vermont,” Dunne said.
The AFL-CIO board endorsed a full slate of Democratic and Progressive candidates. The others include David Zuckerman for lieutenant governor and TJ Donovan for attorney general. The board also supported the re-election of State Treasurer Beth Pearce, Secretary of State Jim Condos and Auditor Doug Hoffer.
The board also called for the re-election of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, both Democrats.
For the full slate of VSEA endorsements click here.
