Labor unions endorse Walz: “Tim Walz doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk”

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Just last year, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a package of legislation considered one of the most sweeping pro-worker laws seen in the U.S. in decades.

The battle over the labor vote is key to capturing the White House in November and Walz’s selection as Kamala Harris’ vice president seems aimed right at that constituency.

Union leaders and advocates for pro-worker and family policies like paid parental leave and childcare cheered Walz’s selection on Tuesday.

Although the United Auto Workers took some time before endorsing Harris, they wasted none in boosting Walz.

“Tim Walz doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk,” the UAW said in a post, soon after Walz was announced the winner of the Harris veepstakes. “From delivering for working-class Americans to standing with the UAW on our picket line last year, we know which side he’s on.”

“He is a labor champion who will take pro-worker values ​​with him to the White House,” AFSCME president Lee Saunders said in a statement. The Service Employees International Union also put out a statement of support.

United Steelworkers also praised Walz, saying in a statement that Harris “couldn’t have chosen a stronger champion of workers to be her running mate.”

Labor leaders had been less enthused about another one of Harris’ prospects, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), because he hadn’t signed on to what’s considered a key labor reform bill, the PRO Act. (After those reports Kelly affirmed his support for the legislation.)

The Walz pick also excited advocates for the “care economy.” Harris has made policies like child care support and paid family leave a pillar of her campaign.

The Minnesota legislation Walz signed into law last year includes paid family leave that provides workers with 12 weeks partial pay to care for a newborn or sick family member; plus another 12 weeks to recover from a serious illness (with time off capped at 20 weeks a year).

Walz also signed a law banning noncompete provisions in employment contracts — which prevent workers from taking jobs with competitors for a certain amount of time. A similar rule proposed by federal regulators is embroiled in a court fight.

Kamala picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate; She has selected someone who is a favorite of progressives and unions