Wayne – Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will speak at a United Auto Workers union hall in Wayne County on Thursday afternoon as part of their two-day campaign tour of Michigan.
The event at Local 900 comes after Harris and Walz met with UAW President Shawn Fain and other Democrats at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Wednesday night. It was Harris’ first visit to the Great Lakes state since 81-year-old President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and she replaced him at the top of the ballot.
Harris focused on economic issues in a speech to thousands of supporters crowded into an airport hangar, promising to address price gouging, rising rents and unlimited prescription drug costs.
Many participants in the rally, which drew thousands, flaunted their affiliation with the UAW. The Detroit-based union, with about a million active and retired members, is an influential group within the organized labor movement, the auto industry and the swing state of Michigan.
“I really want to see a woman of color as president,” said Shauna Lewis, 49, of Ypsilanti on Thursday as she walked to the union building ahead of Harris’ campaign rally. “She’s very supportive of the UAW and I’m grateful for that. I don’t think that’s going to happen with (Republican candidate Donald) Trump.”
To underscore Michigan’s importance to the election, Trump’s running mate, U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, was also in southeast Michigan on Wednesday. He spoke to the Shelby Township Police Department about illegal immigration and public safety and said Harris was untrustworthy.
“She’s a fraud,” Vance said at the event. “And the American people need to look at her record if they really want to know where she stands on the issues, because you just can’t trust her words.”
The UAW International endorsed Harris last week, declaring it would support the union’s “war on corporate greed,” in opposition to Trump, whose net worth is $4.8 billion, according to Forbes.
Local 900 represents Ford Motor Co. workers at the Michigan assembly plant that builds the Bronco SUV and Ranger midsize truck. The plant was the first Ford plant to go on strike last fall during the UAW’s 41-day targeted strike against the Dearborn-based automaker. The result was a record contract that included wage increases, the reinstatement of cost-of-living adjustments, higher pension payments and more.
Ford hired 900 new workers earlier this year to increase the number of vehicles assembled at the plant. About 700 autoworkers were also moved from the Dearborn Election Vehicle Center as production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck was scaled back due to lower than expected demand.
President Joe Biden became the first sitting president to form a picket line outside a General Motors Co. components distribution warehouse in Van Buren Township during the strike by three Detroit automakers last year. Harris also formed a picket line during the 2019 UAW strike.
“Many of our members know that the ballot box is directly related to the lunchbox,” said Scott Elliott, president of the plant’s Local 900 building organization. “Their support of labor in general is tremendous.”
According to their website, Local 900 members also work for the stamping companies GNS North America, Leadec Industrial Services GmbH, MPS and Bay Logistics, Precision Logistics and United Sorters of America.
Ebony Kennedy, 48, of Inkster, a 25-year UAW member who works in quality assurance at the Ford plant, attended Thursday’s event wearing a Rosie the Riveter-inspired T-shirt that read “YES, WE KAM.” Harris’ support for labor and her commitment to abortion access make her excited about the candidate.
“She represents us because she is a woman,” Kennedy said. “Her beliefs are my beliefs. The union stands for family and loyalty. Those are all things she stands for.”
Ida Payne, 77, of Westland, a 25-year UAW member who left the plant, added: “We’ve tried all the men. It’s time for a woman.”
This “girl power” is what Tiffanie Simmons, 29, of Dearborn Heights, a Local 900 union representative, hopes will give Americans like her who have felt like they are holding their breath since 2020.
“We’ve been on a roller coaster since then,” Simmons said, but noted that she believes the auto industry has become more stable and successful, even if there are still more struggles. “I hope things will get better. I’m for a candidate who is fully committed to the labor movement. It’s like having another voice out there on your side.”
The event also highlights the city of Wayne, a community that has had its economic challenges and reflects the nation’s diverse demographics, said Mayor Alfred Brock.
“By coming to Wayne, she’s showing who the important people are,” he said. “It’s the workers who build cars, produce things and innovate.”
This is a developing story. Check back with detroitnews.com for updates.
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