FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2020
Contact: Ally Livingston, alivingston@jeanneshaheen.org

Iron Workers Local 7, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, IBEW 490, and Massachusetts and Northern New England Laborers’ District Council, representing more than 7,500 workers call Shaheen a “champion for hardworking men and women”

Manchester, N.H. — Today, New Hampshire labor unions, representing more than 7,500 workers across the state, endorsed Senator Jeanne Shaheen for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Representatives from Iron Workers Local 7, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, IBEW 490, and Massachusetts and Northern New England Laborers’ District Council highlighted Shaheen’s longstanding commitment to Granite State workers and her bipartisan efforts to protect them during the COVID-19 pandemic and will support on the ground campaigning with member-to-member communications and voter outreach.

“New Hampshire is strong when we stand with our workers, and I will always fight to protect our Granite State union men and women,” said Senator Shaheen. “This pandemic has hit our economy hard, and I have helped drive legislation to ensure that our workers receive proper protections and the PPE they need because many of them are on the front lines, serving our local communities. Right now, I am pushing for federal resources to help restore our economy and create good jobs and job training programs right here in New Hampshire. I am proud to have the men and women represented by the Carpenters, IBEW, Laborers and Ironworkers standing with me in my re-election campaign, and I look forward to working together to create a stronger future for our state.”

“As a champion for hardworking men and women, Senator Jeanne Shaheen has always been our best advocate in Congress,” said Joe Bonfiglio, Business Manager, Massachusetts and Northern New England Laborers’ District Council. “She understands that investing in infrastructure not only strengthens our state, but it also creates thousands of good-paying jobs. She has brought tens of millions of federal dollars to New Hampshire for construction projects, including widening I-93 and repairing bridges and dams. We need Senator Shaheen back in the U.S. Senate where she will continue to fight for us and put New Hampshire workers first.”

“Throughout her career, Senator Jeanne Shaheen has fought for the working men and women of New Hampshire, and she has been a leader on the issues that matter to us most,” said Marco Lacasse, Business Manager of IBEW 490. “In the Senate, she has not only stood up for collective bargaining and union organizing rights as a co-sponsor of the PRO Act, but she has also fought to raise the minimum wage, to increase health care tax credits for the middle class, and to expand access to affordable childcare. We know we can always rely on Jeanne Shaheen to protect and support Granite State working families, and she’ll continue to do so when she is re-elected in November.”

“When Granite State jobs are put at risk, we can count on Senator Jeanne Shaheen to step up and fight for us in Washington,” said John Leavitt, Regional Manager for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. “After President Trump tried to take millions of dollars in funding away from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to build the border wall, Senator Shaheen knew that was wrong. She worked with Democrats and Republicans to save the shipyard’s funding and all of the jobs to go with it because she understands the needs we have for our livelihoods and to support our families. When we have a problem, we know we can call Jeanne Shaheen. She has been a reliable ally for us, and we’re proud to endorse her for re-election to the U.S. Senate.”

“Senator Jeanne Shaheen has consistently fought to protect the future of working families, working across the aisle and championing bipartisan legislation that makes a difference for our workers and New Hampshire,” said Mike Smith, Business Agent for Iron Workers Local 7. “Senator Shaheen has fought to protect our pensions and our health care, helping lead the bipartisan opposition to block the repeal of the Affordable Care Act that could have kicked tens of thousands of Granite Staters off their care. She has also fought to protect workers’ right to collectively bargain and to fight for good wages. We know that she’ll continue protecting our jobs and our futures when she is re-elected this fall.”

In the Senate, Jeanne Shaheen has worked across the aisle to make a difference for New Hampshire’s workers, creating new jobs and strengthening the economy. She successfully protected jobs and funding for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, championed legislation to expand vocational training and apprenticeship programs, led a bipartisan effort to increase funding tenfold to help address New Hampshire’s opioid epidemic, helped pass legislation to expand health care options for veterans, and continues to oppose right-to-work efforts and to advocate for union rights, paid family and medical leave, and increasing the federal minimum wage.

During the pandemic, Shaheen has been in constant contact with workers throughout the state and has called for protections to keep frontline workers safe and healthy as they continue to provide essential services amid a public health crisis.

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