Vice President Kamala Harris aimed to shore up organized labor’s support in the so-called „blue wall” states at the end of the holiday weekend, emphasizing that union members face a binary choice in November between her and former President Donald Trump, whom she accused of being hostile to workers. Harris campaigned in Michigan before heading to Pennsylvania, where she addressed steelworkers alongside President Joe Biden in their first joint campaign event since he announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsement of Harris. Additionally, Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, spoke at a union gathering in Milwaukee, another critical state for Democrats in the upcoming election.
In Pittsburgh, Harris stated that U.S. Steel should remain domestically owned and operated, echoing Biden’s previous warning about the potential acquisition of the steel producer by a Japanese metal giant.
“The president mentioned it: U.S. Steel is an historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies,” she said. “And I couldn’t agree more with President Biden. U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated. And I will always have the backs of American steelworkers.”
Despite the unconventional nature of the race, which features a new name at the top of the ticket and a shorter sprint to the White House, Harris participated in the late-summer ritual of engaging union workers on Labor Day—Trump and his running mate did not have any scheduled events.
During his introduction of Harris, Biden characterized her as union-friendly and highlighted her involvement in the administration’s efforts to improve the lives of middle-class families, including initiatives aimed at enhancing benefits for union workers and protecting the right to organize.
“I have no problem walking a picket line, nor does Kamala,” Biden told a crowd of about 600 wearing Harris-Walz union T-shirts at the local branch of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) in Pittsburgh. “We’ll always walk alongside you.”
Biden also mentioned his administration’s stabilization of a financially troubled union pension plan, which supports the retirements of over a million workers. He stressed that federal projects will be built using American products by American workers.
Harris’s comments regarding the potential sale of U.S. Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp. come amid broader efforts to revitalize American manufacturing, with both Biden and Trump expressing opposition to the deal. The United Steelworkers union has endorsed Harris, making her stance on this issue a significant policy position in a campaign where she has not offered many others.
Earlier in Detroit, Harris directed her criticism at Trump, highlighting his record of blocking overtime benefits for millions of workers and resisting efforts to raise the minimum wage.
“As president, we will always remember Donald Trump blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers and blocked efforts to raise the minimum wage,” she said. “He appointed union busters to the National Labor Relations Board, and he supported so-called right-to-work laws.”
The gathered union members responded with chants of “Trump’s a scab”—a term used for individuals who cross picket lines and undermine strikes.
Neither Trump nor his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, advertised any events on Labor Day, a detail the Harris campaign emphasized.
In past presidential election cycles, Labor Day has marked the start of the 60-day sprint to the election. In 2020, Trump held a news conference at the White House on Labor Day, vowing to end the Covid-19 pandemic and restore the economy. Similarly, he visited Ohio four years prior.
In a statement, Joseph Costello, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, asserted that Trump is „ditching workers on Labor Day because he is an anti-worker, anti-union extremist who will sell out working families for his billionaire donors if he takes power.”
Earlier on Monday, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, wishing workers a happy Labor Day and highlighting his administration’s efforts to support American workers. He claimed that “Kamala and Biden have undone all of that.”
Harris is working to secure the strong union support that Biden has enjoyed, particularly given his assertions of being the most union-friendly president in history. Biden made history in 2023 as the first sitting president to walk a picket line, solidifying unions—especially steelworkers—as pivotal to his 2020 victory in Pennsylvania and integral to Harris’s prospects four years later.
Harris’s campaign emphasizes her commitment to protecting American workers. The selection of Walz as her running mate was perceived as further reinforcing her pro-union credentials, as both he and his wife are union members. His tenure as governor has also been marked by pro-worker policies.
Walz has actively engaged labor groups since joining the ticket, addressing unions at three of his first four solo campaign speeches, including his appearance at “Laborfest” in Milwaukee.
Speaking to members of the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Walz argued that he and Harris are the strongest allies of labor while accusing Trump and Vance of being anti-union.
“It’s not bragging if it’s true: She was part of the most pro-union administration in American history,” Walz stated regarding Harris, while also highlighting his own work as a former union member and Minnesota governor. “From sticking up for workers to voting for fair legislation to walking picket lines, she was there with workers every step of the way.” He further claimed that Republicans had accused him of being beholden to organized labor, countering that assertion by saying, „That’s a damn lie. I am the pocket.”
Walz received applause for voicing support for the Pro Act, legislation aimed at protecting workers’ rights to organize, arguing that Trump and Vance have “waged wars on workers in the middle class.”
“I do say this: He does know something about working people, Donald Trump does. He knows how to take advantage of them,” Walz stated.
“When they wake up in the morning, they’re not thinking about you,” he added, warning that “if you think those guys were bad the last time he was in the White House, just wait if he gets another shot at it.”
