Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke to union firefighters and emergency medical personnel on Wednesday in Boston, insisting that Vice President Kamala Harris – not former President Donald Trump – will fight for their rights to collectively bargain, while protecting their pensions and maintaining funding for federal fire fighting resources.
The event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was hosted by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), one of the nation’s largest labor unions that represents roughly 350,000 firefighters and emergency medical workers.
“I can promise you this,” Walz said as he began his address. “When Vice President Harris and I win this election, we’ll have your back just like you’ve had ours this entire time.” Walz went on to describe the current Harris-Biden administration as “the most pro-labor administration in history.”
Walz insisted that a future President Harris would bolster unions by signing into law the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which he said would make it easier for workers to collectively bargain. The act also claims to maintain funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program and protect any attacks on defined benefit pension plans.
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During the address, Walz slammed Trump over his “right to work stance,” insisting Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, together want to make it harder for workers to collectively bargain.
“Everybody in this room knows ‘right to work’ means right to work for less, right to work more dangerously, right to work for no pensions,” Walz insisted.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to a union-friendly crowd in Boston, at the International Association of Fire Fighters Convention. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
“The only thing [Trump and Vance] know about working people is how to take advantage of them, how to not pay them,” the Minnesota governor said. “Every single chance they’ve gotten, they’ve waged a war on workers and their ability to collectively bargain.”
Walz blamed Trump for blocking overtime benefits for workers, opposing efforts to raise the minimum wage, and slashing funding for federal fire service programs. He also sought to link the former president to the conservative nonprofit Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which, according to Walz, aims to “screw the middle class.”
“Donald Trump [is] trying to hide from that Project 2025 plan,” Walz insisted. “They’re going to use it.”
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The Democratic National Committee projects images on Trump Tower in Chicago, on the eve of the Democrats’ national convention, on August 18, 2024 (DNC)
Walz concluded his address by imploring everyone to tune in to the upcoming debate between Harris and Trump on Sept. 10. He conceded that many people will probably be more interested in Monday Night Football, but insisted what is said that night will impact people’s retirement, their kids’ educations and the future of the nation’s infrastructure.
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“When Republicans used to talk about freedom, they meant it. They meant it. Not anymore, these guys over there, they want government to have the freedom to invade every corner of your life, from our union halls, to our kids, schools, even our doctor’s office,” Walz insisted Wednesday. “The vice president and I, we got a little bit different vision of this.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz celebrate their nomination during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Ill. ( Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Democratic vice presidential nominee’s Wednesday trip to the IAFF’s 57th annual convention marked the second time he has visited Beantown in as many weeks.