Union delegation learns first-hand that organized labor will be a priority in the Harris-Walz administration
BERRY CRAIG
AFT Local 1360
Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Dustin Reinstedler has met his share of big name politicians.
"So far, I would put Joe Biden at the top of the list in being easy to talk to," he said. "But Tim Walz is a very close second."
Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, was in Louisville Wednesday for a private fund-raiser that added more than $2 million to the Harris Victory Fund, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Held at The Henry Clay, the reception attracted about 200 people including donors and some of the state's top Democrats--U.S Rep. Morgan McGarvey and his predecessor, former U.S. Rep John Yarmuth, both of Louisville, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, Craig Greenberg, mayor of Louisville and Colmon Eldridge, Kentucky Democratic Party chair.
Reinstedler was part of a union delegation that got to meet Walz, Minnesota's governor.
Reinstedler credited Bob and Caitlin Blair of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 227 with helping "organize the event and making sure labor was invited. I owe a huge thank you to them." Bob is the Local president; his wife is political and communications director.
Besides the Blairs and Reinstedler, union attendees were Cornelius Cotton, business manager of Louisville Laborers' Local 576; Robby Akin, president of the Central Kentucky Building and Construction Trades Council; Jeff Cooper, Louisville Teamsters Local 89 secretary-treasurer and business agent; Bill Miller, Local 89 political director and business agent; Kim Wolfe, Local 89 trustee and benefits coordinator, and attorney Ellen Suetholz, a state AFL-CIO lobbyist.
"Even though this was a private fund-raiser event and a lot of wealthy, big name donors were there, it was very telling that the Harris-Walz administration invited us," Reinstedler said.
The union delegation was also among about 40 people, mostly politicians and wealthy donors, who enjoyed a private audience with Walz in an adjoining room. "They asked everyone to line up, and a person from the staff came and got all of us labor people and took us to the very front of the line, skipping over all of those other people and let labor go first. That told me what a priority labor is going to be."
Like the Biden-Harris administration, the Harris-Walz ticket actively courts organized labor. The national AFL-CIO endorsed Biden and Harris for reelection and quickly shifted its nod to Harris. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said that from the start, "Harris has been a true partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in history. At every step in her distinguished career in public office, she’s proven herself a principled and tenacious fighter for working people and a visionary leader we can count on. From taking on Wall Street and corporate greed to leading efforts to expand affordable child care and support vulnerable workers, she’s shown time and again that she’s on our side. With Kamala Harris in the White House, together we’ll continue to build on the powerful legacy of the Biden-Harris administration to create good union jobs, grow the labor movement and make our economy work for all of us.”
The AFL-CIO also lost no time backing Walz as Harris's choice for vice president. Said Shuler, “By selecting Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris chose a principled fighter and labor champion who will stand up for working people and strengthen this historic ticket. We know that Gov. Walz will be a strong partner in the Harris White House, fighting every day to improve the lives of workers in communities across America. Gov. Walz isn’t only an ally to the labor movement, but also our union brother with a deep commitment to a pro-worker agenda.
“The labor movement stands united behind the Harris–Walz ticket, and we are ready to help lead the effort to defeat Donald Trump, JD Vance, and their anti-worker Project 2025 agenda in November.”