Harris Backs Striking Dockworkers, Blasts Trump For Appointing 'Union Busters'

Vice President Kamala Harris came out in support of the nation’s striking dockworkers Wednesday, casting the work stoppage that shut down ports from Maine to Texas as a fight for “fairness.”

“Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown,” the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”

Tens of thousands of workers walked off the job Tuesday morning amid a contract dispute with port employers. Their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is calling for significant raises and protections against automation in a new six-year deal. A prolonged strike could end up squeezing the economy just as the November election approaches, putting Harris and President Joe Biden’s administration in a tricky spot.

But so far, the White House has resisted calls to intervene in the dispute and force workers back on the job in the name of national security. Biden has said he believes in the collective bargaining process and that the two sides need to sort out their differences at the negotiating table.

On Wednesday, Harris used the strike as an opportunity to highlight how she’s different from her GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, who was hostile to unions throughout his time in the White House.

“Donald Trump … wants to pull us back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize,” she said. “As President, he blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers, he appointed union busters to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board] — and just recently, he said striking workers should be fired.”

The latter was a reference to a