Vice President Kamala Harris has responded to the port strike now that it’s effectively over. On Thursday, October 3, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) reached a tentative agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) that would suspend the strike until January 15, 2025. Dockworkers can return to their jobs, and many products stuck at the ports will finally be processed. Here’s what Harris said about the union workers as they step away from the picket line.
What did Kamala Harris say about the port strike?
While Harris applauded both the ILA and USMX for reaching a tentative agreement, she said that workers should “share in record profits” in a brief statement from The White House.
The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee says that this action “represents the power of collective bargaining” and hopes that it will lead “toward a strong contract.” Emphasizing “fairness,” she says that the dockworkers “deserve a fair share for their hard work getting essential goods out to communities across America.”
Her response mimics a statement from President Joe Biden, who lauded the power of collective bargaining and placed attention on the dockworkers “after sacrificing so much to keep our ports open during the pandemic.” He also applauded the expediency of the agreement to ensure that “critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding” are brought through the ports.
Despite Harris showing support for union workers, she still struggles with the working class. According to CNN, union households used to support Bill Clinton over the Republicans by a 30-point margin in 1992, but current polls show that Harris only holds a 9-point margin over Donald Trump.
The Teamsters union has chosen not to endorse Kamala Harris either, despite their typical support for the Democratic presidential nominee. Internal polling by the union conducted from September 9 to 15 show that its members support Trump over Harris by a 27-point margin.
