Kamala Harris has been sucking up to unions on the campaign trail, trying to get their backing, but it is not working.
The Teamsters have already decided to sit out the election, and now two more big unions are slipping away from the Democrats in this election.
Talking Points…
- Firefighters Union says no thanks
- Longshoreman not excited about Harris
- Analysis
Unions in this country right now are at a crossroads. They are not happy with Democrats, but they don't dare support their membership in their candidate choice. We saw this with the Teamsters after two surveys showed overwhelming support for Trump. Instead of endorsing Trump, the union leadership announced it was going to sit out the election.
The same thing is now happening with the Firefighters Union after Vance and Walz were tasked with winning them over. Considering that Biden wanted to fire first responders who did not want to take the vaccine, I was surprised to hear resistance from Vance when he gave his speech, but there was also plenty of support, which I am sure terrified the union's leadership. To that point, rather than endorse Trump and Vance, the union decided to sit out the election. International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) President Edward Kelly stated:
"Today, the IAFF Executive Board, by a margin of 1.2 percent, voted not to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. [IAFF took] unprecedented steps to hear out members' views on the candidates and the policy issues that matter most to them.
"As we have over our 106-year history, the IAFF will continue its work to improve the lives of firefighters and their families. We are better able to advocate for our members and make progress on the issues that matter to them if we, as a union, are standing shoulder-to-shoulder."
The union decided by a margin of 1.2% not to endorse anyone in this election. The snub is just as good as an endorsement for Trump as far as conservatives are considered, and Trump took no time to bask in the victory. Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated:
"This is another devastating blow to Kamala Harris' failing campaign. Hardworking Americans including Teamsters, firefighters, Border Patrol Agents, law enforcement officers, teachers, small business owners, moms and dads are sick and tired from the inflation, border crisis, and chaos caused by Kamala's incompetence and terrible policies.
"President Trump represents the change our country desperately needs and he will deliver economic relief, safety, and security for all Americans."
With the Longshoreman's Union on strike earlier in the week, news crews went out to check the temperature on how these union members felt about Harris and Walz, and it was less than warm. FOX Business' Jeff Flock was at a port in Newark, NJ, to talk to striking union members, asking them by a show of hands who was supporting Harris, and not a single person raised their hand.
The union itself came under fire when it was revealed its boss, International Longshoreman Association President Harold J. Daggett, is knocking back nearly $1 million a year in salary and lives in a multi-million mansion with a five-car garage and a Bentley in the driveway. This is a man who was previously charged with directing contracts to companies that would give kickbacks to the mafia. And these are the same people who Biden handed a portion of the $36 billion check from taxpayers to flush up their pension funds, which union leadership mismanaged to the Nth degree.
The strike was reportedly put on hold on Thursday night after a tentative deal was reached. Workers who are already making well into six figures will now get a juicy 62% pay raise over the next six years. Top workers will now be making $63 per hour at the tail end of the contract, which puts the salary at $131,000 with no OT, but many of these workers just about double their salary with the OT they work every week.
With as much as Democrats coddle up to unions, this has to be considered a major blow to the Harris campaign. Personally, I am about as anti-union as it gets, but it has nothing to do with the workers and everything to do with leadership. Far too many of these union bosses are in bed with organized crime who raid these pension funds; then the American taxpayer has to come in and bail them out every decade or so. How can you possibly have union heads making $1 million a year and hundreds of union officials raking in six figures while having pension funds that are going broke, but Democrats are too afraid to stir the pot for fear of losing those significant donations?
This is just more proof that Democrats are losing everything they hold near and dear in terms of election demographics. Unions, minorities, and younger voters are all starting to see the light, and while it may not come to fruition in this election solely because so many people hate Donald Trump, my guess is that in the next election, Dems are going to pay a hefty price.
