UAW endorses Kamala Harris for president
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UAW president Shawn Fain at a rally last year that President Biden attended. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The United Auto Workers endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Wednesday afternoon.
Why it matters: The UAW had been one of the few large unions to withhold an endorsement, as both parties vie to be seen as supporting labor and working-class Americans.
What they're saying: "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," said UAW President Shawn Fain in a statement.
- "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."
Zoom in: The UAW waited a bit before endorsing because Fain wanted to do something with "pizzaz," says Faiz Shakir, executive director of More Perfect Union, a pro-labor news outlet.
- Before becoming vice president, Harris wasn't particularly well known for being a union supporter but her work during the Biden administration with unions hasn't gone unnoticed, Shakir, a former campaign manager for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), said.
- Harris doesn't have the kind of "run through a wall" energy that rank-and-file union members felt for Biden — who's been very union-friendly — but "the support is there," he said.
Flashback: The union endorsed Biden in January after holding out for months, having been concerned about the administration's policies related to electric vehicles.
Fain has repeatedly blasted former President Donald Trump and his policies toward unions.
- "Donald Trump is a scab!" Fain said to raucous cheers at a UAW political conference in Washington, D.C. in January where the union endorsed Biden.
- Trump blasted back, saying at the Republican National Convention earlier this month that Fain should "be fired immediately," for automotive plants being built in China and Mexico. (The UAW has negotiated in the opposite direction.)
Yes, but: The UAW has acknowledged that about a third of its members voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Go deeper: Trump blasts one union boss, while another grabs applause
