John Shinkle/POLITICO Postal workers union backs Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders snagged a major union endorsement on Thursday, with the American Postal Workers' Union announcing its backing of the Democratic presidential candidate. Sanders' largest union pickup comes as his chief rival, Hillary Clinton, has earned several significant labor endorsements in recent weeks.

"We should judge candidates not by their political party, not by what they say, not by what we think they stand for, but by what they do,” union President Mark Dimondstein said in the announcement backing the independent Vermont senator. "Applying that criteria, Sen. Bernie Sanders stands above all others as a true champion of postal workers and other workers throughout the country."


Dimondstein also pointed to Sanders' advocacy of a $15 minimum wage, free public college tuition and veterans' benefits.

"No other candidate has his record of fighting to defend and expand Social Security, promoting ‘Medicare for all,’ and opposing ‘fast track trade authority’ and rotten deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)," the union president added.

In the release announcing the endorsement, the union also makes reference to Sanders' speech to a union conference in Las Vegas in October.

“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,” Dimondstein said. "Bernie Sanders doesn't just talk the talk. He walks the walk. He is a leader in the fight to protect our public Postal Service."

Clinton, meanwhile, last month earned the backing of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the largest trade union in the United States, boasting more than 1.6 million members. APWU is the second AFL-CIO member union to support Sanders, following the National Nurses Union in August.

The endorsement comes on the same day Clinton maintained a strong lead nationally in a new CBS News/New York Times poll, drawing 52 percent to Sanders' 33 percent. In the same poll in October, Clinton had 56 percent, while Sanders had 32 percent. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley earned 5 percent. The survey was conducted Nov. 6-10 via landlines and cellphones, surveying 418 Democrats nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percentage points.