In the first of two events celebrating Labor Day with Union leaders, Vice President Kamala Harris, with the attendees chanting “Kamala” and “We’re not going back,” praised the historic contributions of Unions to United States History at a holiday event in Detroit, Michigan, the location of one the first Labor Day Parades.
Getting the crowd to cheer after saying “Don’t we love Labor Day,” the Vice President said “the way we celebrate Labor Day is we know that hard work is good work.”
The Democratic Presidential Nominee continued praising the American Labor and Union Movement, remarking:
- “On Labor Day, we celebrate the dignity of work…We celebrate unions because unions helped build America and unions helped build America’s Middle Class.
- Commenting on Detroit’s first Labor Day Parade, “Many held signs that read Divided We Can Beg. United We Can Demand.”
- “You may not be a Union Member. You better thank a Union Member. For the five day work week…For sick leave…For paid leave…For vacation time…When Union Wages go up, everyone’s wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, every workplace is safer. When Unions are strong, America is strong.”
On promoting unity instead of divisiveness, the Vice President discussed her upbringing and how her parents and others taught her that “When people stand together. When we join voices, knowing that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. When we join those voices, we can drive extraordinary change…We are all in this together…”
Without mentioning his or his supporters names, she blasted the bullying tactics of Trump and his MAGA minions, saying the true strength of a leader is “Who you lift up.”
On comparing the two visions for the United States, the Vice President noted that:
“Ours focused on the future. Theirs is focused on the past. We fight for a future where all people receive dignity and respect and opportunity for not just for some but for all…This election and our fight is for the Promise of America…A promise of freedom. Of opportunity and justice, not just for some, but for all.”
“As we fight to move our nation forward, Donald Trump intends to pull us back to the past. But we’re not going back.”
Ms. Harris again pointed out how Trump, during his Presidency, and his Project 2025-MAGA supporters would pull us backward with “failed policies” including:
- “Taking us back to a time when workers could not organize.”
- Blocking again overtime benefits for millions of workers like he did in his term as President.
- Opposing efforts to raise the minimum wage.
- Appointing union busters to the National Labor Relations Board.
- Supporting Right to Work Laws.
- Giving more tax cuts to billionaires and corporations.
- Cut Social Security and Medicare.
- Impose a regressive national sales tax (his tariff proposal) on everyday products and basic necessities that “would cost a typical American Family almost $4,000.”
- Repealing the Affordable Care Act and take us to a time when insurance companies could deny people health care based on pre-existing conditions.
The people responded to Harris’s list of Trumps failures toward organizied labor by calling him a “scab.”
Instead, the Vice President said, she and her Administration “Would fight for a future where no person has to go broke just because they got sick.”
She said her Administration would continue the Biden/Harris Administration’s efforts to “strengthen the Affordable Care Act and bring down the cost of prescription drugs…for all Americans.”
The Democratic Presidential Nominee also repeated that her Administration and a Democratic Congress would fight for:
- Every worker having the freedom to organize and pass the Pro Act.
- A future where everyone has an opportunity to get ahead through the Opportunity Economy so every American has a chance, if they want, “to own a home, to start a business, build into generational wealth for their family.”
- Every senior citizen can “retire with dignity” with Social Security, Medicare, and Worker Pensions.
The Vice President closed by saying again how vital this election is to the nation, stressing that the people should treat the Harris/Walz ticket as “The underdogs” in the race, and calling on the Union workers and leaders to help turn out the vote because Michiganders “know how to win.“
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.