Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the union stronghold of Flint on Friday as she battles Donald Trump for support from working-class voters who could tip the balance in this year’s elections.
Their appearance in the key state of Michigan comes the day after American dockworkers They suspended their strike in the hope of reaching a new contract, which would spare the country a damaging episode of labor unrest that could have shaken the economy. A tentative agreement has been reached to increase salaries, although other issues remain to be resolved.
Harris issued a statement saying the development “indicates progress toward a strong contract and represents the power of collective bargaining.” He added that “dockworkers deserve fair compensation for their hard work bringing essential goods to communities across America.”
Unions have long been a base of support for Democrats, but Harris has failed to secure some key endorsements. The International Association of Firefighters announced this week that it would not endorse a candidate this year, following a similar announcement by truckers. Both unions endorsed Joe Biden four years ago.
This is not a complete indifference to Harris. Some local Teamsters union members support her, and she quickly gained endorsements from national teachers unions, construction unions, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the UAW, after replacing Biden at the top of the Democratic list.
But the division within the labor community is a reminder of the shifting loyalties in American politics. Democrats have increased their support among white-collar professionals, while Republicans are trying to make inroads among voters who did not attend college.
During a rally in Michigan on Thursday, Trump claimed that Republicans are now “the party of the American worker,” overlooking his anti-union record as president. In a reference to labor unrest in the country’s ports, he insisted that “under my leadership Americans will not have to strike for a better wage or a better life.”
Trump heads to Georgia on Friday to appear with Gov. Brian Kemp, the latest sign that he has mended his rocky relationship with the top Republican in a key battleground state. Later in the day, he will hold a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Union voters have traditionally leaned Democratic, with 56% supporting Biden in 2020. But Trump has pushed hard to win over manufacturing workers traditionally represented by some of the largest unions. He won 62% of white voters without a college degree, though only 24% of nonwhite voters without a college degree, in 2020.
It’s frustrating for Democrats, who point to the White House’s strong support for unions. Biden even joined a UAW picket line last year.
Lisa Anderson, 59, drove more than an hour from Green Bay in her green “AFSCME for Harris-Walz” T-shirt to hear the vice president speak Thursday in Wisconsin.
She has been an elementary school administrative assistant for 17 years and is confident Harris’ union support runs deep.
“I’m not worried,” Anderson said. “If you vote for Trump, how can you believe in unions?” AFSCME is the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Labor relations could have been a dominant issue in the final weeks of the presidential campaign if the dockworkers’ strike had continued, causing traffic jams at ports and shortages on store shelves.
Biden expressed satisfaction that an agreement was being reached.
“We’ve been working hard on it,” he said at the White House. “With the grace of God and the good will of the neighbors, it will remain.”
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