Steelworkers Praise Edwards Role in Forging Progressive Agenda for Change

January 30, 2008 -- Pittsburgh – The United Steelworkers (USW) reacted to former Senator John Edwards’ announcement that he is withdrawing from the presidential race by expressing pride in the candidate’s role in forging a progressive agenda that would significantly change the direction the country has taken over the past eight years.

“We greet the Senator’s decision with some disappointment but with a great deal of pride in what he has accomplished in this campaign,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard.

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“Senator Edwards proposed the first and most formidable plan to fix the nation’s broken health care system, and he has unquestionably been the most forceful advocate among the viable candidates for changes to the so-called “free trade” policies that are undermining the economic security of millions of Americans.

“We will miss hearing the voice of a candidate who has been unabashed in stating that the growth of the nation’s labor movement through passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is essential for revitalizing the nation’s beleaguered middle class, not to mention his morally uplifting commitment to address the needs of millions of citizens living in poverty.

“We take special pride in the decency with which he and his wonderful wife Elizabeth have advanced the cause of working Americans, and trust that they will continue to work for this important cause in the years to come,” Gerard added. “The focus he brought back to the poverty of those living in New Orleans – especially its impoverished 9th Ward – speaks to the commitment the Edwards family has to giving voice to those in need.”

The USW said it would engage in internal discussions with its leadership about the choices facing the union now that Senator Edwards has dropped out of the race. No decisions are anticipated, the union said, before its International Executive Board meeting in February.

Source: USW