United Auto Workers union endorses Harris' bid for US president

[August 01, 2024]  By Nora Eckert and David Shepardson

DETROIT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -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."

The 370,000-member UAW said its executive board voted to endorse her after endorsing President Joe Biden's reelection bid in January. Biden withdrew from the race on July 21.

Many UAW members live and work in Michigan, where the union is based. Both Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump have made campaign appearances there.

Fain in spotlighting Harris's record fighting corporate price-gouging, profiteering and unfair trade deals in a statement, also pointed out that she walked the picket line with striking auto workers in 2019.

Harris is expected to rally with UAW members in Detroit on Aug. 7, Fain said in the statement.

Trump campaign officials could not be reached for comment on the endorsement of Harris.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Sunday showed that Harris held a marginal one-percentage-point lead over Trump, closing the gap that widened before Biden dropped out of the race.

Prior to Biden ending his reelection bid, Reuters reported that the UAW's executive board met to discuss concerns about his ability to beat Trump.

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."

Trump returned barbs at Fain at this month's Republican National Convention, calling for the union chief to be "fired immediately." Trump said the auto union failed to prevent Chinese automakers from building large auto factories in Mexico to ship products to the U.S.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S., July 11, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

While the UAW has traditionally endorsed Democratic candidates, it forged an even deeper relationship with Biden when he became the first sitting president to walk a picket line in Detroit last September during a six-week strike against Ford Motor, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis.

The UAW won record deals after the walkout, including a 25% wage increase over the life of the contract and the return of cost-of-living adjustments.

Other prominent unions have switched their endorsements from Biden to Harris, but some have been slower to do so. The Teamsters, which represents 1.3 million workers in several industries, including packing and shipping, has not made an endorsement.

Teamsters President Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention but offered no endorsement of Trump. A Teamsters spokesperson said this week the union has invited Harris to meet with the union but received no response.

Separately on Wednesday, Trump spoke about his views on electric vehicle policy at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago.

"Elon Musk endorsed me and he is a friend of mine, ... but I am against everybody having an electric car," Trump said of the boss of the $780 billion battery-powered-car maker Tesla.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Nora Eckert in DetroitAdditional reporting by Nandita Bose in WashingtonEditing by Chris Reese, Matthew Lewis and Marguerita Choy)

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.