Harris and Walz gather UAW members in the union building near the Ford plant
Kamala Harris responds to heckling with a stare at rally in Detroit
“If you want Donald Trump to win, say so. Otherwise, I’ll do the talking.”
A day after inciting a raucous crowd in a hangar at Detroit Metro Airport, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, gathered UAW members in a union hall that has been described as ground zero of last year’s auto strike against the “Detroit Three” and the subsequent ratification of the collective bargaining agreement.
They preached a message of unity and emphasized their ties to union members and the trade union movement.
At the rally Thursday afternoon at UAW Local 900 in Wayne, the two were able to get their message across to a union crowd of UAW members who were striking outside Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant across Michigan Avenue, among other places. Michigan is a key swing state in this year’s presidential race between Harris, the Democratic nominee, and her Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump. The union vote, buoyed by a recent UAW endorsement of Harris, could prove crucial to the outcome.
The Democrats’ stops in the Detroit area are expected to be followed by visits to Arizona and Nevada, two other important states in this presidential election campaign.
Harris praises “noble concept behind collective bargaining”
Speeches by UAW President Shawn Fain, Walz and finally Harris emphasized the connection between Democratic representatives and the working class, and portrayed Trump as someone who only cares about himself, in contrast to Democrats who, they said, are focused on serving others.
Harris said the “true measure” of a leader’s strength is not in who he knocks down, but who he builds up. “It’s about the collective,” she said. “No one should ever be forced to fight alone.”
And she referred to her understanding of the “noble concept behind collective bargaining.” In a negotiation, the result must be fair, she said.
“We say we just want justice, we want dignity for all people,” Harris said, noting that the United States is still in the development phase.
“We love our country. We believe in our country. We believe in each other. We believe in community. We will not fall for these people who are trying to divide us, to separate us, to tear us apart.”
Walz warns of the consequences of a second Trump term
Walz pointed out the short time until election day: “There are 89 days left to make Kamala Harris the next President of the United States.”
“She stands with the American people and the American workers,” Walz said, pointing out that she is the one standing up against billionaires and corporate greed.
And he called on union members to take action.
“It’s a bit like kicking open an open door, but people need to start singing now,” he said, warning of what would happen if Trump wins.
“This time it will be much, much worse and (he will) make sure that we cannot organize together to improve our lives,” he said.
In his introduction, Fain praised Harris and Walz’s support of unions, saying they had working-class roots.
UAW members are pleased with changes on the Democratic list
“What is at stake in this election? … Everything is at stake. It’s about … whether we move forward or go back,” said Fain, who has repeatedly expressed his disdain for Trump. Trump, in turn, called for Fain’s firing.
Dwayne Walker, president of Local 900, which represents most of the nearly 6,000 auto workers at the plant that makes the Ford Bronco and Ranger, emphasized the importance of the site in a conversation before the rally.
“We are battle-hardened, that’s for sure,” he said, noting that it looks like “we have a fight here,” referring to the presidential race.
When asked how his members felt about this, he said that there were “critics” in the union, but “they know that we rise and fall together.”
However, members were pleased with the change at the top of the Democratic list when President Joe Biden resigned and endorsed Harris, he said.
“This is an opportunity for them. They have the chance to have a woman at the top of the ballot,” he said, noting that he grew up with strong women in his life.
More: Fain: UAW members have “regained our dignity” in strike against Ford, GM and Stellantis
The enthusiasm of the invited guests was clearly palpable. The hall has a maximum capacity of 368 people, but was set up to have several rows of seats and a large area for journalists at the back of the room.
Shauna Lewis, 49, of Ypsilanti, a toolmaker by trade at the plant and a trustee on the chapter’s board, called it a great honor to have Harris in her chapter. She said she was happy about the move “so we can move forward and keep Trump out of office.”
It’s a good sign to have a black woman at the top of the ballot, Lewis said, noting that she had previously had some concerns about President Biden’s health.
“They’ve made a great move now,” she said, citing health care, especially for retirees, Medicaid and Medicare, and college tuition costs as her top priorities.
Renea Forrest, 57, of Clawson, is a plant nurse with UAW Local 600. She said she and other nurses manned a medical table in the Local 900 hall during the strike.
Forrest said she was in a “depression” before Biden dropped out of the race, but now feels “renewed.” She had hoped Biden would do that and said he resigned for the good of the country.
“God bless him,” she said.
Forrest called Walz’s selection “very cool” because he is a union member, dating back to his time as a high school teacher.
But Forrest said she was excited about Harris, saying she was convinced she was “based on law and order” and would not undermine women’s rights.
“She’s not going to take us back,” she said, noting that Harris will not “take us back to the 1920s.”
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