Phoenix, AZ — The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 99, the National Education Association (NEA), the Arizona Education Association (AEA), and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Arizona State Council all announced today that they have officially endorsed Raquel Terán’s campaign for Congress.
UFCW Local 99, which represents more than 24,000 essential workers in retail, food processing and other industries across the southwest, is Arizona’s largest private sector union. The National Education Association has 3 million members worldwide; the Arizona Education Association, NEA's Arizona affiliate, is the state's largest public sector union, representing more than 20,000 public school educators, from librarians and classroom teachers to custodians and cafeteria workers.
With nearly a year to go until the contested August 2024 Democratic primary, the early support from organized labor is a clear show of strength for Terán.
“Since she was first called to political action more than a decade ago, working Arizonans have not had a closer friend or fiercer advocate than Raquel Terán,” said Molly McGovern, UFCW Local 99 Legislative Director. “From helping raise Arizona’s minimum wage, to championing essential workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to speaking out against the proposed Kroger-Albertsons megamerger, Raquel has spent her career standing in solidarity with working people and she will continue to stand up for working families in the halls of Congress.”
“We are absolutely thrilled to be endorsing Raquel Terán for Congress,” said Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association and an eighth-grade social studies teacher in the Isaac School District. “As educators, we have seen Raquel fight tirelessly for us and our students at the State Capitol and beyond. She’s always been a true champion for public education and for Arizona’s working families, and we can’t wait to have her representing Arizona in Washington, DC.”
“I am honored to earn the support of UFCW Local 99, the National Education Association, the Arizona Education Association, and the Communication Workers of America. From educators to the outstanding workers in supermarkets, airports, offices, packing houses, and those who maintain our communication infrastructure--organized labor is the power that makes our state run. Unions are on the front lines of fighting for the dignity, respect, and fair pay that every worker deserves, and we are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them as we fight for a more just future for Arizona. ¡A ganar por las familias trabajadoras!” said Raquel Terán.
