Labor unions are fired up and ready to elect Kamala Harris
Working people are all in for Kamala Harris and unions are ready to do their part to help her become the nation’s first female president, leading labor leaders said this week.
At a Labor for Harris online rally organized by the AFL-CIO on Wednesday, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and other leaders urged working people to get out the vote for Harris this fall.
Thousands of union activists took part in the Zoom event, demonstrating that working people are excited by the Harris candidacy and are eager to do all they can to defeat Trump and his extremist, anti-worker Project 2025 agenda.
“Our members are fired up to bring home a win for Kamala Harris on Nov. 5,” said Saunders, who chairs the AFL-CIO’s Political Committee. “We’re going to run the savviest, most strategic political programs. We’re going to out-hustle the other side and grind it out every single day.”
“The reason we are so bullish … is because Kamala Harris shares our values,” he said. “It’s time for labor to do what we do best — putting boots on the ground, hitting those doors, organizing and mobilizing those communities at the grassroots level, winning this election one conversation at a time.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who moderated the event, said the labor movement supports Harris because she has been a “champion for workers” throughout her career. The November election is critically important because, Shuler said, “This is about preserving our freedoms.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), said Harris has attracted immense buzz for a reason.
“What she’s doing is not just being the contrast with Trump, but she’s giving a vision of the future, which is why so many people are captivated by her,” Weingarten said.
Speakers included leaders and members from unions such as the National Education Association (NEA), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU), and National Nurses United (NNU).
Teila Allmond, an IBEW member in Philadelphia who trains female apprentices become electricians, is a role model for women seeking to enter the traditionally male-dominated profession. She said she looks up to Harris.
“This month, I’ve watched Vice President Kamala Harris stand strong in the midst of a moment in the making with grace, resolve and joy,” Allmond said. “Kamala Harris is a role model to me. … She has been half of the historic team that has been the greatest champions of workers ever in the White House.”