Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris traveled to Detroit on Monday to honor workers and labor union members and warn that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump wants to “pull us back to the past.”
Flanked by labor leaders in a high school gym, the vice president said organized labor had shown the “power of unity” and provided the nation with a forward-looking roadmap for working families.
“For generations in Detroit and across our nation, the brothers and sisters of labor have stood together to righteously demand fair pay, better benefits and safer working conditions, and let me say every person in our nation has benefited from that work,” Ms. Harris said. “What we know is when union wages go up, everybody’s wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, every workplace is safer. When unions are strong, America is strong. We know what we are talking about.
“The labor movement has always understood the power of the collective and the power of unity,” she said.
Ms. Harris is relying on organized labor to help her win in key battleground states, where some rank-and-file union members have lost faith in the Democratic Party.
She is scheduled to appear Monday with President Biden at a campaign rally in union-heavy Pittsburgh, and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, plans to speak at Laborfest, an event in Milwaukee organized by local unions.
Mr. Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have no public events scheduled on Labor Day.
Mr. Trump did take to Truth Social to criticize “Comrade Kamala,” saying her “weak” and “failed” leadership is hurting Americans through higher gasoline and grocery prices.
Mr. Trump has tapped into the frustration of union workers and working-class voters across the Rust Belt states who say Democrats have alienated them.
He has hammered the message that President Biden and Ms. Harris adopted policies on immigration, trade and the economy that have hurt American workers, driven down wages, and fueled the inflation that has hurt consumers.
However, Ms. Harris says that for all of Mr. Trump’s bluster, he has never been a friend of organized labor.
“But what we know as we fight to move our nation forward is that Donald Trump intends to pull us back to the past,” she said. “But we are not going back.”
Ms. Harris said Mr. Trump has opposed raising the federal minimum wage, made it harder to enforce collective bargaining agreements, and supported “so-called right to work laws.”
She said Mr. Trump plans to cut taxes for billionaires and big corporations, repeal the Affordable Health Care Act, and impose tariffs that would cost Americans an estimated $4,000 per year.
“America has tried those failed policies before,” she said.
Since entering the race in mid-July, Ms. Harris has stolen the momentum from Mr. Trump. They are now running neck-and-neck in several battleground states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania.
On Monday, she pleaded with voters to ignore the polls and fight against complacency over the final 64 days of the race.
“We are out here running out here like we are the underdog in this race because we know what we are fighting for,” she said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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