UAW union launches pro-Harris campaign to mobilize workers across US

[August 15, 2024]  By Nora Eckert

DETROIT (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers is launching a U.S-wide effort to mobilize its one million active and retired workers to vote for Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election, it said on Wednesday, offering the Democrat a potential boost in critical battleground states.

UAW President Shawn Fain and his executive board endorsed Harris at the end of July, and Fain has been vocal about his opposition to Harris' Republican rival, former president Donald Trump.

The UAW's influence and membership is concentrated in Michigan, where it is based, along with locations in Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania - key swing states that could sway the outcome of the election.

In 2020, the UAW’s membership accounted for 9.2% of U.S. President Joe Biden's votes in Michigan alone, the union said in its statement. It said its strategy in this election will include engaging with members online, at work sites, and door-to-door outreach.

The UAW declined to outline how much it would spend on its election efforts, but a person familiar with the program said it planned to spend millions of dollars.

Fain last week met with Harris and her vice presidential candidate Tim Walz at two campaign stops around Detroit.

Michigan households with a union member have been more likely than union households nationwide to vote for a Democrat in the last three U.S. presidential elections, according to polling firm Edison Research. In Michigan, those households lean more toward voting for Democrats than non-union households.

On Tuesday, the UAW filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board against Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk citing attempts to threaten and intimidate workers.

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris waves to the crowd during a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S., August 7, 2024. REUTERS/Erica Dischino/File Photo

During a conversation between the two men on social media platform X Monday evening, Trump complimented the CEO's ability to cut costs by saying he would not tolerate workers going on strike. Musk chuckled but did not respond to Trump's comments.

Harris' entry into the presidential race since Biden stepped aside last month has energized Democrats and she now holds a small national lead over Trump, though polls show the election remains a tight contest.

Trump, who has drawn support in previous election cycles from some working-class, white voters who would traditionally have been part of the Democrat base, has earned the backing of some UAW members who say the former president's record on trade and tax issues benefits the auto industry more than his Democratic opponent.

Some unions, such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, have not yet endorsed a candidate. Teamsters president Sean O'Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention in July.

(Reporting by Nora Eckert, editing by Deepa Babington)

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