Walz’s Union Pandering Foreshadows Big Labor Influence

On Tuesday, vice presidential candidate Tim Walz addressed a Los Angeles convention for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the largest public sector unions in the country. 

In his first solo appearance since joining the Democrat presidential ticket, Walz boasted his home state of Minnesota as “one of the best worker states in the country.” Furthermore, he assured supporters that his running mate, current Vice President Kamala Harris, also shares a vision “to extend those worker protections to every state in the union.”  

After this latest address, the alliance between the Harris-Walz ticket and Big Labor can no longer be ignored. Since tapping Walz as her running mate, Harris has wasted no time fashioning her second-in-command into a pro-union squawk box. Now, it seems that the Harris campaign has fully bent the knee to Big Labor, signaling a desire to one-up President Biden’s promise to be “the most pro-union President in American history.” 

As one of the largest public sector unions in America, AFSCME’s 1.6 million members represent a crucial demographic for the Harris campaign. Armed with vast political influence and financial clout, public unions have long been a pillar of the Democrat coalition. But this electoral sway is nothing new. In 2022, 95.7 percent of political action committee (PAC) spending by the four largest public sector unions went to Democrats. These unions alone contributed over $708 million to the 2021-2022 election cycle, solidifying Big Labor as a kingmaker within the party.

At the convention, Walz earned high praise from AFSCME President Lee Sanders, who introduced him as “more than an ally,” instead opting for the fraternal label of “union brother.” Running with this enthusiasm, Walz invoked memories of his days as a former union member, assuring the crowd that “when unions are strong, America is strong.” He also suggested there should be “a few more union members in elected office,” foreshadowing the Harris-Walz ticket’s vision for a government where Big Labor has even more sizable influence. 

While Walz’s assurances were vague, their underlying threats should not be underestimated. His deep ties to unions are well documented. As Governor of Minnesota, Walz implemented a range of anti-business measures supported by large labor unions, including banning non-compete agreements and imposing restrictive wage floors. His tenure in St. Paul followed a clear pro-union agenda, prioritizing labor interests over worker freedom and economic competitiveness.

Following the address, California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Patterson characterized Walz’s pandering as an attempt to appeal to a “sympathetic voter base that is enthusiastic about his and Kamala Harris’s radical agenda.” In contrast, Patterson highlighted the “ramifications of far-left policies championed by Harris,” which have pushed moderates to leave “California’s Democrat Party by the tens of thousands as a result.”

Nevertheless, the growing influence of Big Labor over the Harris-Walz ticket is cause for concern. If unions can wield this level of power during a chaotic presidential race, their influence in a potential Harris-Walz administration could be even more troubling. If labor interests continue to dominate the Democrat agenda, American workers and businesses will be left high and dry for another four years.