IATSE Endorses Kamala Harris For President As First Hollywood Union To Weigh In Since Biden Stepped Down

IATSE has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, becoming the first Hollywood union to weigh in on the presidential election now that President Joe Biden has bowed out of the race.

The union called Biden’s administration “the most pro-union administration in history” in a statement released on Monday morning, acknowledging that Harris “has played a pivotal role in delivering landmark policies and legislation to benefit IATSE workers.”

A few of the moves she’s made as Vice President that IATSE highlighted as pivotal to its members include casting a tie-breaking vote in the Senate to pass the American Rescue Plan Act, or the trillion-dollar COVID-19 stimulus package.

She also serves as the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, where she has solicited input from IATSE on executive actions and championed the union’s organizing success.

“President Biden’s legacy as the most effective champion for America’s workers to ever occupy the White House is indisputable,” International President Matthew D. Loeb said in a statement. “His unrelenting support of IATSE workers and the labor movement cannot be overstated. I’m proud to convey the immense gratitude of the IATSE membership for his lifetime of public service and unparalleled leadership. We honor his decision not to run for reelection and are committed to doing whatever it takes to elect Vice President Kamala Harris this November. We are united in our mission to deny Donald Trump, who crossed an IATSE picket line in 2004, another four years of assaulting workers’ rights, undermining unions, and jeopardizing our democracy.”

Harris has already received resounding support from Hollywood, with top donors cutting checks within hours of Biden’s departure. On the labor front, she’s also earned the endorsement of the United Farm Workers.

It will be up to Democratic delegates to ultimately decide whether Harris should be the party’s nominee. The Democratic National Convention is August 19-22, but the party wants to have a virtual roll call before then because of concerns the ticket would miss ballot deadlines or face legal challenges.