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

The UAW has endorsed Kamala Harris for president of the United States.

The union, in an announcement Wednesday, said its International Executive Board had voted in favor of endorsing Harris in the November election ahead of a planned rally for her campaign Aug. 7 in Detroit, where she is expected to "meet directly with UAW members and leaders to hear about the issues that matter to Michigan workers."

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.

“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.”

The UAW joins the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers and other unions in endorsing Harris, although one other prominent union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, has charted its own path, with Sean O'Brien, the general president of the Teamsters, giving a precedent-breaking speech at the Republican National Convention in July.

The UAW's endorsement prompted backlash from the Trump campaign, which released a statement bashing Harris.

"Union workers and all the nation's working families are paying the price for dangerously liberal Kamala Harris' failed economic policies. Kamala Harris' radical electric vehicle mandate will destroy the livelihoods of countless U.S. autoworkers while sending the U.S. auto industry to China. President Trump will reverse Harris' extreme electric vehicle mandate on Day One and save the U.S. auto industry for generations to come. President Trump has more than 90% approval from Republican voters, and is picking up historic gains with longtime Democrat constituencies including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, young people, and union workers," according to the statement attributed to Karoline Leavitt, Trump's national press secretary

While the Biden administration has clearly pushed policies that seek to significantly boost EV sales and adoption, framing that as a formal mandate highlights how the issue is viewed and positioned politically.

The Harris campaign released its own statement touting the vice president's record, following the endorsement announcement.

“Vice President Harris is no stranger to fighting for unions. From walking a picket line with striking UAW workers to casting the deciding vote for the Butch Lewis Act and taking on big banks to protect over $300 million in union retirement funds as California’s Attorney General, Kamala Harris has a long, proven record of delivering for unions and organized labor. As president, Kamala Harris will continue to fight like hell for union workers and their families," according to the statement attributed to Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

The statement warned that "Donald Trump will gut workers’ rights, ship jobs overseas and give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working people. With the immense organizing power of the UAW at her side, this campaign will reach out to auto workers across the country and send Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.”

Harris is expected to name her vice presidential choice by Tuesday, when she will begin a tour of battleground states with her future running mate, the campaign said.

Harris and her running mate will make stops next week in Philadelphia; western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, N.C.; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix, and Las Vegas, the campaign said.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.