Kamala Harris speaks with union leaders in Detroit on Labor Day
(CBS DETROIT) — Vice President Kamala Harris visited Detroit on Labor Day to speak with labor union leaders and workers.
During the event, Harris touted her record of putting workers first and showed her support for union members throughout her speech.
"For generations in Detroit and across our nation, the brothers and sisters of labor have stood together to righteously demand fair pay, better benefits and safe working conditions," Harris said. "And let me say every person in our nation has benefitted from that work."
"Everywhere I go I tell people, look, you may not be a union member, you better thank a union member," said Harris. "For the five-day workweek. You better thank a union member for sick leave. You better thank a union member for paid leave. You better thank a union member for vacation time. Because what we know is when union wages go up, everybody's wages go up."
Harris says her focus is on the future as election day approaches.
"I'll tell you I think there has been a certain backward thinking approach over the last several years, which is to suggest some that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know the true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up."
Harris said, "But as we fight to move our nation forward, Donald Trump intends to pull us back to the past. But, we're not going back."
This statement was followed by chants from the crowd saying, "We're not going back."
After the Labor Day celebration in Detroit, the vice president will travel to Pittsburgh to hold a campaign event with President Joe Biden.
Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will be in Milwaukee for Labor Day, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Newport News, Virginia.
These stops are all part of a Labor Day blitz in battleground states with the purpose of the visits aimed at "underscoring the importance of American workers and unions to building a strong middle class and growing the economy," according to Harris' campaign.
This comes as the union vote could be decisive in the 2024 election. UAW President Shawn Fain spoke at the Democratic National Convention wearing a red t-shirt that read, "Trump is a scab."
CBS News Detroit is streaming live coverage of Harris' Monday visit.
Harris, former president Donald Trump, and their respective running mates have visited Michigan several times in the last few weeks. Last week, Emhoff held a campaign event in Grand Rapids, and Trump spoke in Potterville, where he said he wants to make IVF treatment free for families if he is reelected.
Mr. Biden will be visiting Michigan on Friday to discuss "how his Investing in America agenda is benefiting communities across Michigan and ensuring Americans have a brighter, more prosperous future," according to his campaign.