Less than a week has passed since President Joe Biden revealed his withdrawal from the 2024 race, and a whirlwind has followed. VP Kamala Harris is already the presumptive Democratic nominee after gathering enough pledged delegate support to virtually guarantee her spot.
Where would a changing of the guard leave Big Labor? Biden notoriously pledged to be the “most pro-union president in history,” and countless union leaders have parroted that label. Biden’s union support also runs deeper than imagined, and the NLRB has carried out his agenda with decisions that grease the wheels of unionization. His policies have ultimately led to an overall uptick of petitions, even though overall union density remains at an all-time low.
Indeed, Harris would like to continue Biden’s “legacy,” and companies should be prepared for her to do so. However, as opposed to Biden’s 50+ years of governing experience, Kamala’s record with unions is more limited since the former district attorney entered the Senate in 2017.
She has been on board with Biden’s union agenda. She holds herself out as an organized labor ally who vocally supported the 2023 WGA strike and the 2022 Culinary Union strike in Vegas. The CWA also supported Harris on the 2020 ticket by declaring that she had made “a strong, pro-worker ticket even stronger.” And in 2019, Harris co-sponsored a “Domestic Workers Bill of Rights” in Congress.
How have unions responded to Kamala’s presidential candidacy?
Within hours of Biden withdrawing his bid, several unions handed their support to Harris, including SEIU, United Farm Workers, American Federation of Teachers, IATSE, and National Nurses United.
The AFL-CIO also unanimously endorsed Harris, giving her the support of a federation of 60 unions. In doing so, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler called Harris “a true partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in history.” Schuler also thanked her for “strongly supporting” the PRO Act.
Still, certain high-profile holdouts do stand out. The radio silence on Harris from the Teamsters shouldn’t be a huge surprise, given union chief Sean O’Brien’s recent address at the RNC.
UAW President Shawn Fain is also in no rush to formally endorse Harris, although the union followed Biden’s announcement with a statement that included mention of Harris “walk[ing] the picket line with us in 2019.” The UAW also vowed to “elect a champion for the working class to the highest office in this country.” Again, no explicit endorsement surfaced, but Shawn Fain is probably waiting for Harris to send praise his way first.
The eventual VP pick by Harris could be a wild card on labor issues. Reportedly, “current and former union officials” are not thrilled with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who has been reluctant to back the PRO Act, prompting an open letter from the AFL-CIO. Meanwhile, fellow frontrunner PA Gov. Josh Shapiro openly supports unions in his current gig and previously did so as state attorney general. Stay tuned there.
No matter who Harris picks for VP, unions likely see no other choice but to endorse Harris, given the short turnaround before the election. She’s less of an established political presence than Biden, but she’s also the most likely to continue his policies, including his gushing support of Big Labor. In other words, prepare for more of the same from Kamala Harris.
