Democratic vice presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz met with union firefighters and emergency medical personnel in Boston on Wednesday to insist that Vice President Kamala Harris, not former President Donald Trump, fight for their collective bargaining rights, protect their pensions and maintain funding for federal firefighting resources.
The event, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, was organized by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), one of the largest labor unions in the United States, representing approximately 350,000 firefighters and emergency medical personnel.
“I can promise you,” Walz said at the start of his speech, “that if Vice President Harris and I win this election, we will be on your side, just as you've been on us all this time.” Walz went on to call the current Harris-Biden administration “the most pro-worker administration in history.”
Walz argued that President-elect Harris would strengthen unions by signing the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which he said would make it easier for workers to bargain collectively. The bill would also preserve funding for adequate fire and emergency response staffing subsidy programs and prevent attacks on defined benefit pension plans.
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During his speech, Walz slammed Trump's “position on labor rights” and claimed that both Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, want to make it harder for workers to bargain collectively.
“Everyone in this room knows that 'right to work' means the right to work for lower wages, the right to work in more dangerous jobs, the right to work without a pension,” Walz argued.
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Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, addressed a pro-union audience at the International Association of Firefighters convention in Boston. (AP Photo/Stephen Sene)
“The only thing is [Trump and Vance] “All they know about workers is how to take advantage of them and how to not pay them,” the Minnesota governor said. “Every chance they get, they've waged war on workers and their ability to collectively bargain.”
Walz criticized Trump for blocking overtime pay for workers, opposing a minimum wage increase and slashing the federal fire marshal's budget. He also tried to link the former president to the conservative nonprofit Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which Walz said is aimed at “scamming the middle class.”
“Donald Trump [is] “They're trying to get away with Project 2025,” Waltz argued. “They're going to take advantage of it.”
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The Democratic National Committee projected the footage onto Trump Tower in Chicago on the eve of the Democratic National Convention on August 18, 2024. (Democratic National Convention)
Walz ended his speech by urging everyone to tune in to the debate between Harris and Trump on September 10. While he acknowledged that many people would probably be more interested in Monday night football, he argued that what happens that night will affect people's retirements, their children's education and the future of the nation's infrastructure.
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“When Republicans talked about freedom, they meant it. They meant it. Not anymore. Those guys over there want the freedom for government to invade every corner of our lives, from our union halls to our kids to our schools to our doctor's offices,” Walz argued Wednesday. “The vice president and I see this a little bit differently.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz celebrated the nomination on the final day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Democratic vice presidential nominee visited Beantown on Wednesday to attend the IAFF's 57th Annual Convention, marking his second visit in as many weeks.
