(Aug. 12, 2020) — Following are statements from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, Washington State Labor Council President Larry Brown, and WSLC Secretary Treasurer April Sims on Joe Biden naming Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) as his running mate:
Richard Trumka: “Kamala Harris has spent her career tackling some of the most critical issues facing working families. As California’s attorney general, she held big banks accountable in the wake of the housing crisis, prosecuted employers for stealing our wages and advanced criminal justice reform. As a U.S. senator, she has achieved a perfect AFL-CIO lifetime score, working to create a fairer process for forming a union and protecting our health care and retirement security. We look forward to electing her America’s next vice president.”
Larry Brown: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will make an excellent team for working families in Washington state and throughout the nation. This is an exciting and historic moment at a time when our nation is desperate for leadership. As we navigate health, economic and social justice crises, we need stable employment, safety and security on the job, protected pensions, resources in our communities, investments in infrastructure, and affordable and accessible health care. We can count on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, both proven leaders, to work on behalf of all working families to achieve these goals.”
April Sims: “Kamala Harris stands on the shoulders of the Black women leaders who came before her — organizers like Lucy Parsons, advocates like Fannie Lou Hamer, pioneers like Shirley Chisolm, and many untold women who dared to change the status quo. As a woman, and especially as a Black woman in this moment, I am proud. Kamala has a proven track record of taking on powerful corporate interests to fight for what’s right for everyday working people. We have 12 weeks to make sure that she and Joe Biden win this critical election. The WSLC is excited to do our part to make sure Washington’s working families celebrate a Biden-Harris victory in November!”
We are in a battle for the soul of this nation. But together, it’s a battle we can win.@JoeBiden—I’m ready to get to work. pic.twitter.com/3PJcUTYBGU