New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has another reason to play those Bruce Springsteen records: he won the endorsement of the Laborers’ International Union of North America today. The New Jersey Star-Ledger reports:
LIUNA vice president Ray Pocino delivered the governor the union’s support and with it the manpower and resources of 20,000 members in New Jersey. He ticked off a list of building projects and construction funds revived during Christie’s administration, including the $2.5 billion Revel casino and a $750 million bond for education infrastructure. Four years ago, the powerful labor leader pledged his support to the Democrat, then-Gov. Jon Corzine.
“You have earned our support,” Pocino told Christie. “You have earned the right to finish the job you have started in our opinion.”
Standing on a stage in the Laborers Local 472′s training center, Christie and First Lady Mary Pat faced a sea of members wearing orange shirts with “LIUNA! Builds America. Feel the Power.” Air horns blared as members cheered and waved “Jersey Jobs” signs.
It is quite a coup for the Republican, who has had rocky – to say the least – relations with state labor groups.
