The American Federation of Teachers New Jersey has released its endorsement of Senator Bob Menendez for U.S. Senate.
“I am incredibly proud to have the support of the tens of thousands of dedicated educators and AFT members across New Jersey,” said Sen. Menendez. “Education is the key to unlocking a child’s full potential, and when we invest in our teachers, we invest in the next generation of leaders and innovators. I will always fight for them, and for the resources they need to make sure every child has a fair shot at achieving their dreams.”
“Senator Menendez is a proven champion of organized labor and economic justice for the nation’s working families,” said AFT New Jersey President Donna M. Chiera. “We need to return the Senator to Washington to continue to fight against the SALT limit that punishes this region of the country for political reasons and to advocate for education policies that offer hope for poor, immigrant children to fully realize their wonderful potential.”
Bob Menendez has a proven record of fighting for New Jersey’s workers and the rights of workers to organize. He believes that anyone who works hard deserves fair pay and livable wage and recently spoke out against the recent Janus Supreme Court decisions that undermined unions. Menendez voted to increase the minimum wage, has resisted Trump Administration efforts to roll back workplace safety standards, supports updating the Equal Pay Act, and is fighting for paid family, sick, and medical leave.
The Senator voted against the Trump Tax Plan that included a $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. Before the final vote, he offered an amendment that would have fully restored the SALT deduction; every single Democrat voted “yes” and every single Republican voted “no.”
Sen. Menendez is a champion for New Jersey’s educators, students, and schools and has secured $700 million in federal funding for school safety and mental health services in school. He supports the America’s College Promise Act, which would provide two years of tuition-free community college or technical school for all students. He voted against Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who promotes the privatization of schools and neglects much-needed public school funding, and opposes Secretary DeVos’ plan to arm teachers with guns. He is fighting against Secretary DeVos’ rollbacks of LGBTQ protections, and cosponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act to explicitly prohibit public schools from discriminating against any student on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
An affiliate of the AFL-CIO, AFTNJ represents 30,000 pre-K through 12th grade educators and other school-related employees, and higher education faculty and professional staff across New Jersey.