Labor rallies around Walz as Harris’ VP pick

By TIM ROWDEN
Editor-in-Chief

Washington – Following Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, the AFL-CIO announced its enthusiastic support for the Harris–Walz ticket. Other unions quickly followed suit.

“By selecting Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris chose a principled fighter and Labor champion  who will stand up for working people and strengthen this historic ticket,” said AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler.

“We know that Gov. Walz will be a strong partner in the Harris White House, fighting every day to improve the lives of workers in communities across America. Gov. Walz isn’t only an ally to the Labor Movement, but also our union brother with a deep commitment to a pro-worker agenda.

“The Labor Movement stands united behind the Harris–Walz ticket, and we are ready to help lead the effort to defeat Donald Trump, JD Vance, and their anti-worker Project 2025 agenda in November.”

ABOUT WALZ
Walz is a former public school teacher and union member who has proven that a pro-worker agenda is a winning agenda, especially in competitive states. In Minnesota, he has delivered on a comprehensive, pro-union legislative package and created the gold standard for state governments aiming to do right by workers.

Like President Joe Biden, Walz walked a picket line with UAW members last year during the union’s Stand Up strike against the Detroit automakers.

Biden picketed with workers at a Ford plant in Wayne County, Mich. Walz walked with workers outside a Stellantis/ FiatChrysler plant in Plymouth, Minn., and has walked numerous other picket lines in the state.

As governor of Minnesota, Walz has enacted some of the most pro-worker packages of legislation of any state in the country, including laws to:

• Guarantee paid family and medical leave and mandate paid sick days.
• Prohibit noncompete clauses.
• Bar employers from holding anti-union captive audience meetings.
• Strengthen protections for meatpacking workers and Amazon warehouse employees.
• Strengthen the collective bargaining power of teachers’ unions, including allowing bargaining over educator-to-student classroom ratios.
• Create a statewide council to improve conditions for nursing home workers.

In addition, Walz also:

• Reached a historic deal with Uber and Lyft that amounts to a 20 percent increase in driver pay and provides statewide wage and worker standards, even in the face of threats from Uber and Lyft to end service in Minnesota.
• Invested $2.6 billion in much-needed infrastructure projects that create good, family-supporting jobs that pay prevailing wages.
• Issued Executive Order 23-07, which established the Governor’s Committee on the Compensation, Wellbeing, and Fair Treatment of Transportation Network Company Drivers.

TEACHER AND UNION MEMBER
Walz was quickly endorsed by the 1.8 million-member American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which noted his educational and Labor background before entering politics, and the three million member National Education Association (NEA)

Walz was a longtime social studies teacher in Mankato, Minn., and a member of Education Minnesota, the AFT and the National Education Association.

“Tim Walz has been a great governor, and he will be a great vice president.” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “He is an inspired choice. We supported him when he ran for Congress and governor, and for good reason: He has provided record funding for public education, protected reproductive rights, and expanded collective bargaining, affordable child care and paid family and medical leave. And he did it with the slimmest of majorities.”

Weingarten speculated that maybe Walz has been so successful because he’s a teacher. “Think about how incredible it would be to have someone with such deep understanding of our schools serving as vice president,” she said. 

Weingarten also noted the contrast between Walz and former president Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance.

“The contrast couldn’t be clearer,” she said. “Tim Walz is a small-town schoolteacher and military guy who has consistently given back to his community. He embraces the goodness of America and believes in being kind and helping those around you. While Walz taught high school, JD Vance was working as a venture capitalist — gambling with investments and more concerned with Silicon Valley profits than how to help his community. While Walz has increased funding for public schools, Trump and Vance want to cut funds for poor kids, Head Start and food programs and pass voucher programs that take money from public schools.”

UNDERSTANDS WORKING PEOPLE
The 820,000-member International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) also praised Harris’ selection of Walz.

“Gov. Tim Walz has been a union member and understands working people and their struggles to his core,” IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper said.

“In Congress and as governor, he has been a steadfast ally of Organized Labor and the IBEW, and we could not be more pleased that Vice President Harris selected him as her running mate.

“Gov. Walz is a strong supporter of collective bargaining rights and has built a partnership with Organized Labor that is strengthening Minnesota’s Middle Class and getting results for communities across the state.

“By choosing Gov. Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris proves that she is committed to continuing President Biden’s pro-union legacy, and the IBEW is committed to doing whatever we can to help them win this November.”

‘NO STRANGER TO LABOR’
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley applauded Harris’ choice saying it cemented her commitment to the Labor Movement and bettering the lives of working families across the country.

AFGE represents 750,000 federal and D.C. government workers.

“Governor Walz is no stranger to Labor,” Kelley said, adding his decades of experience as an Army National Guard officer, a teacher, and a union member as exemplify his dedication to public service.

“Governor Walz is a man of action who has a history of bringing divided government together to accomplish practical things for the people of Minnesota. We know that he will bring that same fight into the White House,” Kelley said.

“AFGE enthusiastically supports the Harris-Walz ticket, and we look forward to helping elect this historic ticket in November.”

PRO-LABOR GOVERNOR
“Tim Walz has been one of the most effective pro-Labor governors in the entire country,” said Claude Cummings, president of the 700,000-member Communications Workers of America (CWA) “With the selection of Governor Walz as her running mate, Vice President Harris has made clear that the Harris-Walz administration will fight to empower the working class and our unions.

“Governor Walz has consistently championed the rights of workers and a brighter future for working families,” Cummings said. “Our members are ready and enthusiastic to elect the Harris-Walz administration — two leaders who have walked picket lines, given CWA members a seat at the table, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our work to build power for working people.”