Standing “Shoulder to Shoulder”: UAW Endorses Vice President Harris

Standing “Shoulder to Shoulder”: UAW Endorses Vice President Harris

Yesterday, the United Auto Workers endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States, citing her long record of standing up for working families.

As UAW President Shawn Fain told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace yesterday, “You have one candidate in Trump who represents the billionaire class, I call him the lap dog for the billionaires. And you have a candidate in Kamala Harris, who stands for working class people and she’s shown it through her actions and so that’s what this is about.”

See coverage below:

On the Airwaves:

On MSNBC’s Deadline: White House, UAW President Shawn Fain:

“This election is about, you have one candidate in Trump who represents the billionaire class, I call him the lap dog for the billionaires. And you have a candidate in Kamala Harris, who stands for working class people and she’s shown it through her actions and so that’s what this is about. It’s about working class people taking their lives back. Nothing could be more important than that. … The Biden-Harris Administration have went to work. They’re creating jobs in America— literally tens of thousands of jobs in the battery EV industry. … Also saving jobs, saving communities. Lordstown, Ohio, Lordstown assembly workers were left behind by Donald Trump. He did nothing to protect a plant that was closed there. Those workers were sent all over the country. Under Biden-Harris, some of those workers are coming home now to Lordstown because there’s a battery plant there. And they helped save a community in Belvedere, Illinois that was written off for dead. That plant was closed. They went to work with us and the company and our bargaining and helped us get funding so that that factory will come back. There’s a big difference in what Trump says and what he does. Trump is a liar and Kamala Harris has been there with us every step of the way.”

On CNN’s NewsNight, UAW President Shawn Fain:

“I think there’s a lot of energy around the campaign and I know our members are very excited about Vice President Harris’ candidacy and so I think there’s just a lot of energy around the campaign… One thing my grandparents taught us growing up and my parents taught us was you never forget where you come from, and JD Vance went to work with a venture capitalist and a billionaire and obviously those people go after, they have no concern for working class people. They have no concern for businesses they take over and pillage and rip apart and tear communities apart. So well, he can claim he’s for the working people. I mean, his body of work shows different.”

In Print:

CBS: UAW endorses Kamala Harris for president ahead of Detroit visit

[Joseph Buczek, 7/31/24]

Ahead of her visit to Detroit next week, the United Auto Workers union endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president Wednesday…

“Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” said UAW President Shawn Fain in a statement. “We stand at a crossroads in this country. 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. This campaign is bringing together people from all walks of life, building a movement that can defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. For our one million active and retired members, the choice is clear: We will elect Kamala Harris to be our next President this November.”

In a release, the UAW said Harris previously joined the union on the picket line with striking autoworkers in 2019.

New York Times: Autoworkers Union Endorses Kamala Harris for President

[Nicholas Nehamas and Noam Scheiber, 7/31/24]

The U.A.W.’s endorsement throws the union’s powerful organizing muscle behind Ms. Harris, who faces a tight race against former President Donald J. Trump. The union has about 370,000 members, with large presences in key battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin.

“We stand at a crossroads in this country,” the U.A.W.’s president, Shawn Fain, said in a statement, adding, “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.”

CNBC: UAW union endorses Vice President Kamala Harris for president over Trump

[Michael Wayland, 7/31/24]

The United Auto Workers on Wednesday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.

The union’s endorsement should not be surprising. UAW President Shawn Fain has been outspoken against Trump. The Detroit union also has historically supported Democrats, including President Joe Biden.

Fain’s criticism of Trump continued when endorsing Harris.

“Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” Fain said in a statement. “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.”

Associated Press: UAW endorses Harris, giving her blue-collar firepower in industrial states

[Tom Krisher and Josh Boak, 7/31/24]

The United Auto Workers on Wednesday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, giving her union firepower for the likely contest this November against Republican Donald Trump.

UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement that the union’s “job” in this year’s election was to defeat Trump. The union has more than a million active and retired members with a strong base in what the Democrats call the “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“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,” Fain said.

The Hill: UAW endorses Harris, citing ‘track record’ with workers

[Taylor Giorno, 7/31/24]

The United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Vice President Harris on Wednesday in the upcoming presidential election.

UAW President Shawn Fain praised Harris ahead of her planned appearance at a rally with union members on Aug. 7 and took aim at former President Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

“Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” Fain said in a statement.

Axios: UAW endorses Kamala Harris for president

[Emily Peck and Nathan Bomey, 7/31/24]

The United Auto Workers endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Wednesday afternoon.

Why it matters: The UAW had been one of the few large unions to withhold an endorsement, as both parties vie to be seen as supporting labor and working-class Americans.

What they’re saying: “Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” said UAW President Shawn Fain in a statement.

Reuters: United Auto Workers union endorses Harris’ bid for US president

[Nora Eckert and David Shepardson, 7/31/24]

The United Auto Workers union endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for U.S. president on Wednesday, providing a likely boost for Harris in the swing state of Michigan as her recently launched campaign ramps up.

UAW President Shawn Fain, who spoke by phone last week with Harris, praised the vice president’s record “of delivering for the working class” and said she “will stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our war on corporate greed.” […]

Fain has criticized Trump for months, telling a conference in Baltimore, Maryland, earlier this month that “it’s clear that Donald Trump in the White House would be a complete disaster for the working class.”

Michigan Advance: UAW endorses Harris, says rally planned with the VP in Detroit next week

[Jon King, 7/31/24]

In an appearance last week on MSNBC, Fain said the union planned to take its time and carefully consider its options.

“We want to have fruitful discussions when we meet, and I think it’s important we do that. We owe that to them,” he told host Jen Psaki.

Wednesday’s announcement ended that speculation, as the union said Harris’ “historic candidacy builds on the Biden-Harris administration’s proven track record of standing with the UAW and delivering major gains for the working class.”

Detroit Free Press: UAW endorses Kamala Harris for president, plans big presence at Detroit rally next week

[Eric D. Lawrence, 7/31/24]

The endorsement was not unexpected. Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would drop out of the race against Republican Donald Trump, the UAW highlighted the vice president’s record in the union’s statement about Biden’s service. That record includes Harris walking the picket line with UAW members during the union’s 2019 strike against General Motors.

The union’s president, Shawn Fain, has also made no secret of his disdain for Trump, who has called for Fain’s firing.

“Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” Fain said in a news release.

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