Food workers endorse Perez for DNC chairman

Labor Secretary Tom Perez picked up a major union endorsement Friday in his campaign to head the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the country, will back Perez over Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) and other candidates who are stepping into the race.

{mosads}The DNC chairman will play a big role in leading the party against President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress over the next two years, shaping the vision for how it can win back working-class voters in 2020.

“The Democratic party is at a crossroads,” said UFCW President Marc Perrone.

“In light of the challenges the party faces, Perez has the experience and vision for the changes the DNC must make, and is the right leader who can make these changes happen,” Perrone said.

“While there are a number of very good candidates in the DNC chair race, Tom Perez offers the party what it so desperately needs — bold leadership and ideas, strong experience managing an organization at the state and federal level, and someone singularly focused on rebuilding the party across the country,” he added.

The DNC election will be held in late February.

The AFL-CIO previously backed Ellision.

Perez has also received support from the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

While the union’s general president Harold Schaitberger stopped short of endorsing the labor secretary on Thursday, he called Perez a “good friend to fire fighters” who has a “long history of fighting on behalf of everyone who works for a living.”