Columbus, Ohio—The United Auto Workers announced Oct. 15 that it will back Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-
Ohio) for re-election. “Sherrod Brown recognizes that we need to invest in our workers and restore the value of work in our country,” UAW Region 2B director Rich Rankin said in a statement. Local 70 President Jerry Arnold praised Brown’s opposition to “right to work” laws, his work against “unfair trade deals,” and his championing “the auto rescue that helped save thousands of jobs and businesses that supply parts for the industry from Wall Street’s reckless behavior.” The endorsement is not surprising, because Brown has been one of the most pro-union members of the Senate, but it comes a year after several Ohio unions supported the state’s Republican senator, Rob Portman, over his Democratic opponent—including the Teamsters, the International Union of Operating Engineers, and the United Mine Workers. Brown may wind up in a rematch with his Republican opponent from 2012, state treasurer Josh Mandel, who called the Obama administration’s bailout of the auto industry “un-American.” Read more
