Bernie Sanders just earned his biggest labor union endorsement yet

A Postal Workers Union protest in 2014.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders picked up the biggest labor endorsement of his presidential campaign on Tuesday when the 200,000-member American Postal Workers Union made its support official.

Said union President Mark Dimondstein in an announcement:

He is a fierce advocate of postal reform to address the cause of the USPS financial crisis, an outspoken opponent of USPS policy that degrades mail service. He fought the close of post offices and spearheaded the effort to pass a 'sense of the Senate' resolution to restore service standards, which was approved by a vote of 85-11. Bernie Sanders doesn't just talk the talk. He walks the walk. [Dimondstein]

The union also championed Sanders' support of a $15 minimum wage, free public college tuition, and veterans' benefits, Politico reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But even with APWU's support, the socialist senator still lags behind Hillary Clinton in labor endorsements. Just last month, the nation's largest trade union, the 1.6-million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, endorsed the Democratic frontrunner. Clinton has also picked up eight other union endorsements, representing seven million members.

Explore More
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.