My brother Seth, the former Acting Labor Secretary, worked with Joe Biden in two administrations and witnessed the special relationship the President had with America’s labor unions. In a piece he published on his Power At Work blog, Seth writes about whether Kamala Harris will be able to draw the same kind of support:
How will organized labor react? A larger number of unions, and the AFL-CIO, endorsed Biden earlier in this election cycle than any previous endorsement of a presidential candidate. I fully expect all the unions that endorsed President Biden, including the AFL-CIO, will also endorse Vice-President Harris. As of this writing, a quickly increasing number of unions — beginning with political powerhouses SEIU and AFT — have done so. Others are working through their internal processes, which may take a few days or a couple of weeks. Each union has an established procedurefor making these kinds of decisions, perhaps requiring an executive board vote or a poll of their membership. My expectation is they will endeavor to act quickly to leave as little doubt as possible.
Harris does not have the same long history with organized labor as Biden. Most national leaders and local or regional leaders outside California met her for the first time during the 2020 campaign or after she swore the oath as vice-president. Nonetheless, they have worked with her on a host of issues since then. Biden asked Harris to chair the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. That’s where she and I worked together most closely. When the President asks you to lead a policy task force focused on one of his top priority constituencies, you know you have his trust and his full confidence you can do the job. Harris did….
The most critical fact is that Harris is the most likely person to implement and expand President Biden’s pro-worker, pro-union agenda. Unions correctly view her as his partner in crafting and implementing that agenda. They want it to continue. In fact, they need it to continue. Unions have grown since 2021 and there is likely more growth to come in 2024. Federal policy is not the only factor in that growth —workers should get the bulk of the credit — but federal policy is certainly one important factor. Also, you cannot advance and implement an agenda if you lose. Harris is perceived to be the Democrat who is most likely to defeat former President Donald Trump, and the public polling seems to confirm that perception. Unions need an allied candidate to win this election.