The Biden campaign said Friday it secured 2024 endorsements from the AFL-CIO and 17 other unions, hoping to shore up President Biden as a champion of organized labor before a political speech Saturday at a union hall in Philadelphia.
Campaign officials said the AFL-CIO, which represents 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, is making its earliest endorsement of any presidential campaign cycle.
“President Biden has been an unwavering champion of the labor movement his entire career, and today, AFL-CIO and 17 unions across the country endorsed him and Vice President [Kamala] Harris in an unprecedented show of solidarity and strength for our campaign,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
Mr. Biden frequently touts his blue-collar bona fides as a son of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and is a vocal supporter of unions.
“Joe Biden ran for president four years ago because he knows the way to grow the economy is to grow the middle class, and that starts with strong unions and labor representation,” Ms. Chavez said.
Mr. Biden faces stiff competition from the GOP frontrunner — former President Donald Trump — who made significant inroads with blue-collar America by focusing on trade imbalances and the impact of illegal immigration.
Mr. Biden is expected to campaign on his pledge to protect workers who want to organize in the workplace, whether it is in coffee shops or colleges and the manufacturing sector. His campaign says the pivot to green energy is also a chance for organized labor to flex its muscle and provide reliable jobs.
During his weekend speech, Mr. Biden is likely to highlight his legislative wins such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill that provided billions of dollars to upgrade roads and bridges and build new transportation projects.
The president is “rebuilding America, brick by brick, through good jobs and opportunity for all,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond said Friday. “That’s the future we want for our kids and that’s why the labor movement is going all-in to deliver another four years to President Biden.”
Mr. Biden also secured endorsements from AFSCME, a union for state, county and municipal workers; the UNITE HERE Culinary Union; and Electrical Workers (IBEW) International, among others.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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