Retired Navy admiral and former Pennsylvania Congressman Joe Sestak who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, was the only candidate to stop by a Sioux City Labor Day picnic. Sestak spoke with reporters about his support for organized labor and working families, and said unions represent the “last organized force for the working family,” but they’re shrinking.
“If there’s anyone we need today, when the median level of income of the working families has flatlined when you account for inflation in the last 20 years, we need them to be up there fighting for us, so that’s why I’m here,” Sestak said.
Sestak said he’d like to start a program that would allow people to train and retrain for new skillsets in the workforce. He calls this program “Training for a Lifetime.” It would basically be insurance for a worker if they lose a job to new technology developments in their industry. "You have a commitment that you're going to be retrained for a better job, like in green manufacturing," Sestak said.
Sestak spoke at the Sioux City picnic for about 10 minutes. He gravitated toward his usual message about uniting the country. “This nation cannot meet the defining challenges of its time unless it’s a united America again,” Sestak said.
