Election 2016: Members Speak Out
Richard Perez
Local 915
Richard Perez, 46, is an Army veteran and a 10-year member of Local 915 in Kearny, Ariz. A third-generation miner, Perez is employed at ASARCO’s Ray copper pit mine. ASARCO is a unit of Grupo Mexico.
"Hillary is all for the union. She’s all for the labor movement. She is willing to work for us as a union, which is real important for all of our livelihoods. That’s paramount over anything, I believe. After that, everything else will fall into place.
“This election is important for the country. We don’t need someone who is so indecisive, so greedy and so self-centered such as Donald Trump. I don’t believe we need that attitude in this day that we live in, in the United States. We’re trying to make things better, not worse.
“I believe Trump is heading down the wrong road. We Americans don’t really have time for an individual who speaks like he does on a soap box.
“We’re a great country already. We don’t really need to make it any better. We just need to work on a few issues that deal with improving life for the working class.
“In the past I was a Clinton supporter. I voted for Bill. I actually liked Bill in office. A lot of good things came out of that. If I voted for him, why not her? Her agenda is a little different because it’s a different time in the economy.
“Hillary is pushing for the union, pushing for the labor movement. She is against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and she has a plan to create more jobs.
“She’s a strong spirited woman… I think she is a very independent woman, knows what she’s talking about. She’s connected throughout the world. She knows the ins and outs of politics.”
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