AMY KENNEDY ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT OF NJ COUNCIL OF COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA (CWA) 

Kennedy: “We need to make it easier for workers to organize and grow unions to increase workers’ bargaining power.”

Brigantine, NJ —Amy Kennedy, mental health advocate and candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s 2nd district, today announced the endorsement of the New Jersey State Council of the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO (CWA).

“I’m so proud to receive the endorsement of the members of CWA in South Jersey. Congress needs to make it easier for workers to organize and grow unions to increase workers’ bargaining power. And when corporations violate workers’ rights, we need to hold them accountable,” said Kennedy. “That’s why I am proud to support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), which eliminates ‘right-to-work’ laws that states have used to attack workers’ bargaining power, makes it easier for workers to certify unions and enables workers to take their employer to court. CWA’s has been a tireless advocate for the PRO Act in Congress, but Republicans are blocking it and Trump has promised to veto it.”

I believe this district needs a candidate that will never waiver on our values as Democrats. Every policy position I hold is to serve the people that I grew up with who haven’t been well served by the Jersey political machine. My values are informed by a lifetime of experience in South Jersey and that’s what I want to bring to Washington,” said Kennedy.

“New Jersey is blessed with an amazing delegation of Members of Congress who stand up for working families every day, and we are excited to maintain our support for these candidates,” said Dennis Trainor, Vice President for CWA District 1. “CWA also had a long a close history with Ted Kennedy, and we are excited to be supporting his daughter-in-law. When I heard Amy Kennedy discuss her approach to fighting back against Donald Trump’s dangerous bigotry, I knew that she would be the most electable candidate to face Jeff Van Drew in November.  We have many members in this Congressional District, and our Locals are going to be out in force for Kennedy.”

“Amy Kennedy is a rock star,” said Hetty Rosenstein, CWA NJ Area Director. “Kennedy is unbought and unbossed, she’s unequivocally pro-union, and she’s the perfect candidate to defeat Jeff Van Drew this November to turn that seat back.”

CWA in New Jersey represents more than 60,000 working people in state, county and municipal government jobs and in the telecommunications and direct care industries.

“I will also fight to ensure our government keeps the promises we have made to public and private employees. Unless we act, more than 200 multiemployer pension plans will fail in the next 10 years, threatening the retirements of 1.3 million Americans,” said Kennedy. “I support the Butch Lewis Act, which would create a loan program to help get pensions back on solid ground and I will fight to protect and expand Social Security.”

Communications Workers of America (CWA) New Jersey represents more than 70,000 working families in New Jersey, including more than 40,000 state workers, 15,000 county and local government workers, and thousands of workers in the telecommunications and direct-care industries. CWA New Jersey includes over 30 chartered local unions and is part of CWA District 1, which includes New York, New Jersey and New England. CWA is affiliated at the national, state and local level with the American Federation of Labor–Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO).

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