Sen. Bob Casey Jr. landed an important endorsement on Thursday morning, as the Pennsylvania American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) announced its backing for the 63-year-old Democrat.
“Since his election to the Senate in 2006, Bob Casey has shown he is committed to the wellbeing of Pennsylvania’s workers and families,” said Angela Ferritto, President, PA AFL-CIO. “He has worked to create family-sustaining jobs and safeguard the rights of workers. He has consistently demonstrated that he cares about the issues our members care about – better pay and benefits, secure retirements, gender equality, workplace health and safety, high quality public education, and civil rights, among others.
“Senator Casey’s record speaks for itself. On behalf of union families, I encourage all Pennsylvanians to speak up, show up, and support his candidacy.”
The AFL-CIO is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. In the Commonwealth, the group represents 51 International Unions, 1,422 Locals and 700,000 working men and women in Pennsylvania.
“Senator Casey has fought against large corporations and defended the rights of working people across the commonwealth,” said George Piasecki, Secretary-Treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO “He understands that by strengthening workers’ rights, we can create an economy that benefits all Pennsylvania residents. The PA AFL-CIO is proud to support Bob Casey because we know he will advocate and fight on behalf of our members.”
Casey has supported legislation to expand apprenticeship programs, provide paid sick days for railroad employees, and secure marriage equality. In 2023, he introduced two bills to establish a fair tax code for workers and crack down on anti-union practices. His Tax Fairness for Workers Act was designed to allow workers to deduct travel costs, uniform costs, and other business expenses, including union dues, in the same way other employees deduct these expenses.
The incumbent Senator also introduced the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act in 2023. The legislation was designed to prevent anti-union practices by prohibiting corporations from deducting union-busting expenses from taxes. In many cases, attempts by workers to form unions and fight for their rights are thwarted by million-dollar campaigns funded by taxpayers. The tax code rewards corporations for union busting by allowing them to write these efforts off.
Casey will be challenged by Republican Dave McCormick in the 2024 general election in what will be one of the most-closely watched races in the country.