“Based on her record and her commitment to stand up for the issues that working families care about, we believe that Elizabeth Esty is the best candidate to be our next U.S. Representative from the 5th Congressional District,” John W. Olsen, President of the Connecticut AFL-CIO said in a statement. President Olsen also said that Elizabeth Esty’s involvement in the fight to save jobs at the Cheshire Pratt and Whitney plant, her votes on issues such as health care reform and education as well as her willingness to protect the right to organize and collectively bargain were all factors leading to the endorsement.
“I’m honored to have the endorsement of the hard-working men and women of the Connecticut AFL-CIO,” Esty said. “It couldn’t be more clear how much is at stake in this year’s election. Workers’ rights are under attack across the country, and Republicans have now added the author of the Ryan plan to end Medicare as we know it to their national ticket. I’m looking forward to working with the Connecticut AFL-CIO to fight for the fair paychecks, safe workplaces, reliable benefits, and collective bargaining rights that working Americans need and deserve, and to working together to protect the Social Security and Medicare benefits that our seniors have earned from a lifetime of hard work.”