Senate President Steve Sweeney along with Sen. Donald Norcross and Assemblyman John Amodeo, both of South Jersey, each failed to gain the backing of the AFL-CIO at its endorsement conference today.

Sweeney, a member of the iron workers union, Norcross, an electrical union member and head of the Southern New Jersey Central Labor Council, and Amodeo, a Republican who is a member of the Operating Engineers, all fell victim to the wrath of the public sector unions after the three lawmakers voted in favor of the recent pension and health benefits reform package signed into law in June.

That law, which caused a wide rift among Democratic lawmakers, will raise pension and healthcare contributions for all public workers. Public employee union members had vowed to hold elected officials they felt betrayed them accountable for their votes.

Over 600 delegates from 148 local unions representing 40 national unions participated in the endorsement process.

A release from the AFL-CIO made no mention of the snubs to the three lawmakers and a spokesman for the federation did not immediately return an email for comment.

Hetty Rosenstein, state director for the Communications Workers of America, applauded the federation for its actions.

"We applaud our sisters and brothers in the labor movement for standing by those who stood with us and making the tough decision to hold politicians accountable to their principles," she said.  "The working men and women of New Jersey stood strong today in honoring our friends and denying their endorsement to the handful of Democratic state legislators who voted for the most anti-union legislation ever enacted in New Jersey.  Public workers are grateful for this important show of solidarity."

While neither Sweeney nor Norcross faces much of a challenge in the upcoming race, both rely heavily on union money.  Each will likely still find help from the building trades unions, which as private sector employees were not affected by the pension and benefit reforms.

After the conference, The N.J. State Building and Construction Trades Council slammed their AFL-CIO counterparts for the snub against Sweeney and Norcross.  The building trades members walked out of the endorsement conference in a show of protest.

“By its refusal to endorse Senate President Steve Sweeney, State Senator Donald Norcross and Assemblyman John Amodeo, the N.J. State AFL-CIO has proven once again its irrelevance in our state’s political life,” said William T. Mullen, president of the 150,000-member building trades council. “These are superb candidates who have spent their lives and careers advancing the best interests of the labor movement and making New Jersey one of the nation’s most pro-labor states. But now, the N.J. State AFL-CIO has surrendered to a small group of unions who want revenge against our honorable and productive legislators, and are trying to use one vote to dismiss and discredit their lifelong commitments to organized labor. As members of the building trades, we will not stand idly by and allow that to happen.”

The AFL-CIO also denied endorsements to Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-34), state Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1), and state Sen. Jim Whelan (D-2). Neither Van Drew nor Whelan received the group's endorsement four years ago.

The group did endorse two Democrats in battleground districts: incumbent state senators Linda Greenstein of the 14th District and Robert Gordon of the 38th District.

Last month, the building trades council endorsed the three lawmakers as well as Assemblymen Joseph Egan, Thomas Giblin and Wayne DeAngelo, and Assembly candidate Troy Singleton, who are all members of the building trades.  Mullen said the council would use all of the means at its disposal to ensure their re-election.

“Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senator Donald Norcross, and Assemblymen John Amodeo, Joseph Egan, Wayne DeAngelo and Thomas Giblin have proven that they are the best advocates for all workers in New Jersey," Mullen said. "They have earned and will continue to receive our council’s wholehearted support, despite the childish actions of a few petulant and obstructive unions.”

A complete list of the AFL-CIO endorsements is attached.