Major Unions Quickly Endorse Kamala Harris To Replace Biden

Several of the most powerful labor unions threw their backing behind Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination within a day of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race.

Their fast endorsements reflect the urgency within much of organized labor to rally around a single candidate to take on former President Donald Trump — and avoid a messy nomination process with less than four months to go until the presidential election.

The American Federation of Teachers said its executive board endorsed Harris for president on Sunday, while the Service Employees International Union announced that it was “all in” on Harris’ candidacy.

Then on Monday, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Communications Workers of America and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees all said their boards had endorsed Harris as well.

Together, those five unions represent several million workers, and they had all backed Biden — whom many in labor consider the most pro-union president ever — before his withdrawal from he race Sunday afternoon.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the AFT, said in an interview that the union’s executive board held a discussion on Saturday about what to do if Biden pulled out. After his withdrawal on Sunday, the board met and agreed unanimously to get behind Harris. The union was holding its annual convention in Houston this week, so the convention delegates met on Monday and ratified the board’s endorsement, with about 95% in favor, she said.

“[We] said, ’Let’s move quickly,” Weingarten explained. “‘If we’re going to do this, why wait for other people? If we believe this is right and we have to beat Donald Trump, and Kamala Harris is a fantastic candidate to do it… let’s