Remarks at a Campaign Event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, Pittsburgh! (Applause.)

Thank you, Joe! (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: It is good to be in the house of labor. (Applause.) It is good to be in the house of labor. And it is good to be back at IBEW Local 5. (Applause.)

And can we please give it up again for our president, Joe Biden? (Applause.)

Now, I don't have to tell the brothers and sisters of labor that you really get to know somebody when you're in the middle of a fight, when times are hard, when the forces are mighty, when people don't believe something can get done, and they have a thousand excuses for why it can't get done.

And I have spent more time with this extraordinary human being when the cameras were not in the room, when the stakes were high, when the heat was intense. And Joe Biden has always stood with the workers of America and labor unions of America. (Applause.) Always. Always.

I've been with him when he'll bring folks into the Oval Office. And you know how Joe can get sometimes. He doesn't spare words. It's good that sometimes the cameras are not in the room when he has those conversations. (Laughter.)

Because the thing about the Joe Biden I know -- and I know you know, because he has been a frain- -- friend of labor for so long, for his whole life -- Joe Biden can be quite impatient, and that's a good thing for that kind of leader. (Laughter.) Quite impatient.

And I say to all of the friends here, the press that's in the room: History will show what we here know. (Applause.) Joe Biden has been one of the most transformative presidents in the United States that we have ever witnessed. (Applause.) And it comes from his heart. (Applause.)

And, you know, Joe and I talk a lot about the fact that we are so proud to be the most pro-union administration in America's history, and it's thanks to your leadership. (Applause.)

And, as we know, Joe has still got a lot of work to do, so let's -- let's also understand that.

So, I want to thank all the incredible leaders who are here today, including the governor, Shapiro; Lieutenant Governor Davis; Senator Casey, who we will reelect this November -- (applause); Mayor Gainey; President Shuler; President Cooper; all the leaders of labor who are here; all the union members who are here.

So, I'll just get right to a few points. I love Labor Day. (Laughter.) I love celebrating Labor Day. And Pittsburgh, of course, is a cradle of the American labor movement. (Applause.) It is the birthplace of the AFL, headquarters of the Steelworkers, home to Fire Fighters Local 1, and, of course, the historic IBEW Local 5. (Applause.)

For more than 150 years, the brothers and sisters of labor have helped lead the fight for fair pay, better benefits, and safe working conditions, and every person in our nation has benefited from that work.

You know, everywhere I go, I tell people, "You may not be a union member, but you better thank unions for that five-day work week. Thank unions for sick leave. Thank unions for paid family leave. Thank unions for your vacation time." (Applause.)

Because when union wages go up, everybody's wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer. When unions are strong, America is strong. (Applause.)

And we are clear: Not only has Pittsburgh shaped the history of America's labor movement, today you are also shaping its future. (Applause.)

In 2021, with my dear friend, the Secretary, Marty Walsh, who the president appointed to be Secretary of Labor, he and I hosted a meeting right here in this Local, and it was part of the White House Labor Task Force that I lead.

That day, we met with a group of computer programmers who were working to form a union. One month later, they signed their contract and became the first -- one of the first technology unions in our nation -- (applause) -- standing on the shoulder of all those who have been here and fought the good fight.

So, Pittsburgh, I r- -- I remind us of that to say, together, we are fighting to build an economy that works for all working people. (Applause.) And that has always been the vision of the labor movement. And that is the vision of our campaign. (Applause.)

You know, in this election, there are two very different visions for our nation: one, ours, focused on the future; the other focused on the past.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: We fight for the future. (Applause.) We fight for a future of dignity, respect, and opportunity for all people. (Applause.)

We fight knowing it's some backward thinking for those folks to have been suggesting for years that the -- the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down. You know, that's the stuff they're pushing -- that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down -- when we know the true measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up -- (applause) -- who you lift up.

Do you fight for workers? Do you fight for families? Do you fight for those who must be seen and heard and deserve the dignity that comes with hard work? (Applause.)

That's what we fight for. And when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.)

So, we're 64 days out from this election. (Laughter.) Ballots in Pennsylvania will start dropping in 14 days -- (applause) -- 14 days. And this election is, as much as anything else, a fight for the promise of America -- (applause) -- for the promise of America.

We love our country. (Applause.) We love our country. And we know it is one of the highest forms of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country, and that's what this election is about, and about the promise of America.

And I don't need to tell unions what the promise looks like. It's what you do every day. (Applause.)

But as we fight to move forward, Donald Trump is trying to pull us backward, including back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: He's going to jail!

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We're not going back! We're not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, the courts will handle that, and we will handle November. How about that? (Laughter and applause.) We'll handle November. Let the courts handle that other thing. But we're not going back.

AUDIENCE: We're not going back! We're not going back! We're not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: We're not going back. And --

AUDIENCE: We're not going back! We're not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And one of the ways -- one of the ways we're going to guarantee we don't go back is that we remember. Right? It is important to remember what that was and what it is.

Remember, as president, Donald Trump blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He opposed efforts to raise the minimum wage. As the president said, he appointed union busters to the National Labor Relations Board.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And don't forget, he supported so-called right-to-work laws.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And if Donald Trump were to be reelected, he intends to give more tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He intends to cut Social Security and Medicare.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He wants to impose what, in effect, would be a national sales tax. I call it the "Trump national sales tax" on everyday products and basic necessities that would cost a typical American family -- the economists have said this -- almost $4,000 a year.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He intends to repeal the Affordable Care Act

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: -- and take us back to what we remember -- because it wasn't that long ago -- was a time when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions. You remember what that was? Children with asthma. Breast cancer survivors. Grandparents with diabetes.

Well, look, America has tried those failed policies before, and we are not going back. (Applause.) We are not going back.

AUDIENCE: We're not going back! We're not going back! We're not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And instead -- and instead, we fight for a future where no person has to go broke just because they get sick. (Applause.)

And so, building on the work of President Joe Biden and I and the work we have done in the White House, we will continue to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and make prescription drugs affordable for all Americans.

We -- (applause) -- we -- we fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to organize. And we will pass the PRO Act and end union busting once and for all, and Bob Casey will help us do that. (Applause.)

We -- we see and know and fight for a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by but to get ahead. (Applause.)

And so, we will continue to build what I call an "opportunity economy" so that every American has an opportunity to buy a home or start a business or build intergenerational wealth and have a future that matches their dreams and ambitions and aspirations. (Applause.)

Because, of course, that's the nature of who we are as Americans. We have dreams. We can see what is possible, unburdened by what has been. We have aspirations. We have ambitions. And the system that is a good system is one that supports that and allows people the opportunity to go where they can see and imagine themselves to be.

That's what I'm talking about when I talk about an opportunity economy.

We fight for a future where every senior can retire with dignity, and so we will continue to defend Social Security and Medicare and pensions. (Applause.) And pensions. And pensions. (Applause.)

And we will continue to strengthen America's manufacturing sector.

And on that point, the president mentioned it, U.S. Steel is an historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies. And I couldn't agree more with President Biden, U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated. (Applause.)

And I will always have the back of America's steelworkers -- (applause) -- and all of America's workers.

So, friends, 64 days until the most [important] election of our lives, and probably one of the most important in the life of our nation, truly.

And we know this is going to be a tight race to the very end. It's going to be a tight race to the very end. So, let's not pay too much attention to those polls. Because as unions and labor knows best, we know what it's like to be the underdog. And we are the underdog in this race, and we have some hard work, then, ahead of us.

But here's the beauty of us in this room: We like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.)

And so, in this fight, I will continue to count on the strength, the determination, and the hard work of the leaders in this room to knock on doors, to get folks to the polls, and -- bluntly put, because the people in here do it -- to help us win Pennsylvania. (Applause.)

So, today, I ask, are you ready to make your voices heard?

AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Do we believe in freedom?

AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Do we believe in opportunity?

AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Do we believe in the promise of America?

AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And are we ready to fight for it?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And when we fight --

AUDIENCE: We win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: -- we win.

God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.)