Labor unions back Harris-Walz ticket

By Sheri Williams

Labor unions across California and the nation are lining up behind Kamala Harris and her union-member running mate Tim Walz for the presidential race, highlighting their longstanding commitment to working families.

“From day one, Vice President Kamala Harris has been a true partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in history,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, announcing her organization’s endorsement.

“At every step in her distinguished career in public office, she’s proven herself a principled and tenacious fighter for working people and a visionary leader we can count on. From taking on Wall Street and corporate greed to leading efforts to expand affordable child care and support vulnerable workers, she’s shown time and again that she’s on our side.

With Kamala Harris in the White House, together we’ll continue to build on the powerful legacy of the Biden-Harris administration to create good union jobs, grow the labor movement and make our economy work for all of us.”

Walz, a former educator who belonged to a teachers’ union, made his union credentials clear in his first solo campaign stop in August in front of a union audience.

Walz spoke at the Los Angeles convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and Harris offered a recorded message.

“We know that when unions are strong, America is strong,” Walz said. “That’s why Vice President Harris and I have both joined workers on the picket line. And it’s why, as governor, I signed one of the biggest packages of pro-worker policies in history into law. Today, Minnesota is one of the best states for workers in the nation. That’s our vision for the entire country.”

David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU – United Service Workers West, said that California unions are all-in for Harris and Walz.

“California’s working people are thrilled to stand with Vice President Kamala Harris, a leader who embodies the California Dream and our vision for the nation’s future: where the children of multi-racial and immigrant families have limitless opportunities. We are ready to make history by sending the nation’s first African-American, Asian-American, woman President to the Oval Office with a worker-powered victory this November,” he said.

National Education Association President Becky Pringle said in a press release that choosing Harris was “an easy decision.”

“The choice for the nation is clear: We can elect a president who will make sure our students can live into their full brilliance by prioritizing our public schools or a president who will demonize them and corporatize our schools, minimizing who has access and opportunities,” she said.

Shawn Fain, the president of the United Auto Workers, whose union has also endorsed the Democratic ticket, called Harris and Walz the “Democratic Dynamic Duo.”

“Donald Trump is all talk and no action when it comes to delivering for autoworkers,” said Fain. “We can put a billionaire back in office who stands against everything our union stands for, or we can elect Kamala Harris who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our war on corporate greed.”

The UAW will launch a national effort to mobilize its million-member union to support the Harris-Walz ticket, especially in battleground states including Michigan where the union has thousands of members. AFSCME (along with other unions) also have big plans.

The union promised that “AFSCME members will be out in full force” in their communities to support the Harris-Walz campaign, conducting major get-out-the-vote efforts in key battleground states, including Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin.

“Tim is more than an ally,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “He understands us because he is one of us—a union brother who spent years as a public service worker in his community. He embodies the very best of public service—leading with empathy, looking after everyone and leaving behind no one. … He’s a stand-up guy, absolute salt of the earth. And come next January, he will bring his decency and common sense to the White House.”

As Minnesota’s governor, Walz protected AFSCME jobs while investing in the public services they provide—passing legislation banning private prisons and giving public school workers the ability to provide free breakfast and lunch to their students, the union said. Walz did all this for Minnesota’s communities while getting state workers, AFSCME members, a historic contract with across-the-board raises and expanding their freedoms on the job.

In a break from its national leadership, the National Black Caucus of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters also gave its endorsement to Harris and Walz, though the Teamsters as a whole have yet to endorse and its president spoke at the Republican National Convention.

“Their records reflect a deep dedication to advancing labor rights and supporting working-class Americans,” the caucus said.

Unions are also pointing out Harris’ record in helping working families.

As vice president, Harris played a critical role in rebuilding crumbling infrastructure, investing in good-paying union jobs, bringing manufacturing back to America, lowering prescription drug costs and raising wages, the AFL-CIO said in a statement.

She also helped to save the pensions of more than 1 million union workers and retirees and the administration’s efforts to increase access to affordable child care and expand the child tax credit.

As a U.S. senator, Harris fought to expand labor protections and fair wages for agricultural and domestic workers and walked the picket line with International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) workers, the AFL-CIO said.

She was a vigorous advocate for workers’ freedom to form or join a union, including strongly supporting the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act to reform broken labor legislation that stacks the deck against workers.

As attorney general of California, she cracked down on corporate greed, took on the big banks after the 2008 financial crisis to deliver relief for struggling homeowners and protected the most vulnerable workers by tackling wage theft and other corporate crimes.