Surrounded by members wearing iconic, high-visibility “IBEW for Harris” neon green shirts, Vice President Kamala Harris continued her battleground barnstorming at Local 890 in Janesville, Wis. just four days before the election, she again vowed to stand with unions and shared her wish to visit every IBEW local in the United States.
In front of a crowd of more than 250, including International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble, IBEW release staff and members, Harris invoked the power of solidarity in the tight presidential contest.
“When you know what you stand for, you know who you fight for,” she said on Nov. 1. “I proudly stand for labor and the dignity of work – and that’s just about what is right.”
She was introduced by Garrik Harwick, assistant business manager and 12-year member of Local 890. He said under the Biden-Harris administration, Wisconsin has seen the fastest growth of unions in 30 years.
He also praised her support of registered apprenticeships. “Local 890 has the largest apprenticeship class in our history because of the Inflation Reduction Act,” he said.
Especially exciting for IBEW members was seeing IBEW brothers on the stage with Harris on national news broadcasts and across social media on Nov. 1.
“To have that spotlight on our local was just amazing,” Harwick said.
Harris rallies have been drawing tens of thousands of supporters, but the campaign wanted a smaller venue to speak to union members, said IBEW Wisconsin member Dean Warsh, who helped organize it. The relatively small Janesville event was similar to Harris’s Labor Day appearance at Pittsburgh IBEW’s Local 5.
