Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 2, 2022

VP travel pool report #1 — JBA arrival

Good morning from Joint Base Andrews, where it's 43 degrees and sunny. The Vice President arrived at 8:29 am ahead of her departure to Durham, North Carolina, where she will tour the IBEW local 553 apprentice program at Durham Technical Community College, followed by remarks. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, traveling with the VP (by air; he rolled up to JBA in a separate motorcade) will also deliver remarks. While exiting his SUV, the former Boston mayor placed a Dunkin' Donuts cup in the door. Both the tour and the remarks will be pooled press.

The White House sends the following:

On Background from A White House Official:

VP arrives at Joint Base Andrews by motorcade. Upon arrival she was greeted by those below.

• Secretary Marty Walsh, U.S. Department of Labor
• Congressman David Price (D-NC-04)
• Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Maj Guy Evertson, Alt. Director Flight Line Protocol, C-32A Pilot

Today, following President Biden's State of the Union last night, Vice President Kamala Harris will be traveling to Durham, North Carolina with Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration's investments in our workers to eliminate barriers to good-paying jobs for workers all across America. These efforts include providing more training and apprenticeships, and hiring workers based on their skills.The Vice President, Secretary Walsh, and Governor Roy Cooper will participate in a tour of the IBEW local 553 apprentice training program at Durham Technical College. The Vice President will also deliver remarks.

The Vice President and Secretary Walsh serve as Chair and Vice Chair of the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. The Task Force is comprised of over 20 participant agencies, offices, and White House components, counting 13 cabinet secretaries as members. Its charge is to "identify executive branch policies, practices, and programs that could be used, consistent with applicable law, to promote my Administration's policy of support for worker power, worker organizing, and collective bargaining." In February, the Task Force released the recommendations it made to the President, including executive actions to promote registered apprenticeships.

Additional Background:

· In May, the Vice President led an inaugural meeting of the Task Force, along with Secretary Walsh. The Vice President called the Biden-Harris Administration "proudly pro-union," and she added that the Task Force will mobilize the federal government's policies, programs, and practices to empower workers to organize, strengthen unions and successfully bargain with their employers.

· In June, Vice President Harris, along with Secretary Walsh, held the first field meeting as Chair of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment with union organizers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The roundtable served as an opportunity for the Vice President and Secretary Walsh to hear directly from a diverse cross-section of union organizers about their campaigns to increase union membership, the barriers to organizing and the benefits for workers who unionize, including higher wages, safer working conditions, and collective bargaining power.

· In October, the Vice President and Secretary of Labor held the second meeting of the Task Force, with participation from Secretaries Mayorkas, Raimondo, Haaland, and several other cabinet secretaries joining virtually.

· Also in October, during an event at the White House with workers from across the country, Vice President Harris, Secretary Walsh, and Kiran Ahuja, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), announced new Biden-Harris Administration actions to encourage worker organizing and collective bargaining in the federal workplace. For new federal workers: educate federal job applicants and new federal employees about unions during the hiring process and onboarding process. And for current federal workers: enhance communications to federal employees concerning their rights to join a union and ways to engage with their union. These actions through OPM will help lift up and support the 2.1 million non-postal federal employees.

· In February, The Task Force publicly released the report it delivered to President Joe Biden that includes nearly 70 recommendations to promote worker organizing and collective bargaining for federal employees, and for workers employed by public and private-sector employers. Additionally, the recommendations include ways to increase private sector workers' access to information about their existing right to join and/or organize a union, and the legally-defined process of how to do so. The President accepted the recommendations, and as a follow up, the Task Force will submit a second report to the President which will describe progress in implementation and contain additional proposals for further action.

VP travel pool report #2 — arrival in Durham

AF2 touched down in Durham, where it's 54 degrees and sunny, at 9:33 am, following an uneventful flight.

VP travel pool report #3 — WH background + motorcade to Durham Technical Community College

"On background from a White House official," details about the VP's welcome crew:

"Greeting the VP on arrival to Raleigh-Durham International airport the Vice President was greeted by those below.

Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC)
Mayor Elaine O'Neal (D-Durham, NC)"

The VP, wearing a gray suit, stopped to chat for a few moments on the tarmac before departing for Durham Technical Community College. As we neared the end of the 20 minute journey, the motorcade made its way past R.N. Harris Elementary School, where kids lined up along the fence and cheered excitedly, holding hand-drawn signs and portraits of the VP. Pool is currently holding in a classroom, awaiting the tour.

VP travel pool report #4 — tour + more background + more Marty Walsh

"On Background From A White House Official:

The Vice President is touring different sites of Durham Technical Community College.

Tour participants are below.
Vice President Harris
Secretary Marty Walsh, U.S. Department of Labor
Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC)
Congressman David Price (D-NC-04)
Mayor Elaine O'Neal (D-Durham, NC)

Rebecca Axford, Training Director, Durham Tech will guide the group between the tour sites.

Henry Concubierta and Tara Schmitt provide a briefing at station 1 on motor control exercises.

Ezra Byrd and Yesenia Hernandez provide a briefing at Station 2 on portable training boards.

Brandon Wesley, Jill Mongato, and Khalil Seeley provide a briefing at Station 3 on a programmable logic simulation."

—
During one stop, as students demonstrated a light switch, the VP and Marty Walsh asked questions and made pleasant observations about the nature of the expertise the students are gaining. The VP marveled that although many of us flip light switches, the students actually know how they work. However, your pooler's personal favorite statement came courtesy Secretary Walsh, who first seemed to attempt to ask the students what inspired them to become electricians, but instead asked them, "So what got you into electricity?"

During the final stop of the tour, the VP said, "Thank you all, you're helping to make our country strong and help build it up — as the president would like to say, build back better."

Pool is now assembled at a press riser in an auditorium awaiting the VP's remarks.

VP travel pool report #5 — VP remarks briefly on Ukraine

The Vice President took the stage at 11:30 am, beneath a banner that read "BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA."

She opened with brief remarks on Ukraine in which she expressed solidarity in somber, agreeable language.

"As we all know, the eyes of the world are on the brave people of Ukraine," the VP said. "They are fighting. They are fighting not just to defend their homes and their families but to defend their worth and their freedom, their sovereignty…" She said, "we stand" with the people of Ukraine and "we stand with our partners and our allies on the side of knowing that we must always be vigilant in defending the ideals that we hold dear… With that, we all, I know, express our thoughts and prayers and well wishes to the people of Ukraine."

Moving to the topic at hand here in Durham, the VP told the audience that the administration is "proud" to be pro labor. She emphasized her work with Secretary Walsh and the "extraordinary hard work and discipline that goes into the work that builds America" on display at the technical school. She added that she hoped the audience had seen the president's "wonderful" and "extraordinary" speech last night.

VP travel pool report #5 — VP remarks briefly on Ukraine + background

additional bg from WH:

"On Background From A White House Official:

Remarks program at Durham Technical Community College

Before the program began with Secretary Walsh and Vice President Harris, leaders in North Carolina offered remarks. The pre-program participants are listed below in speaking order.
- Durham Tech President J.B. Buxton
- North Carolina Building & Construction Trades Council President Alvin Warwick
- Congressman G.K. Butterfield
- Congressman David Price
- Mayor Elaine O'Neal
- Governor Roy Cooper

Program:
Secretary Walsh of Department of Labor began the remarks program followed by Tara Schmitt a Third Year Apprentice at Durham Technical Community College. Tara then introduced Vice President Harris for her remarks highlighting the American Labor Movement."

VP travel pool report #6 — motorcade rolling + unscheduled stop at elementary school

Following her remarks, VP participated in a closed press roundtable event followed by two local press interviews. Motorcade departed Durham Technical Community College at 2:27 pm and traveled for about three seconds to R.N. Harris Elementary, where kids remained lined up along the perimeter fence, hopping and cheering and waving hand drawn signs. VP stepped out of her SUV at 2:29 pm and walked along the fence, chatting with the kids and shaking their hands and crouching down to dole out pep talks at eye level for about ten minutes. Motorcade departed at 2:40 pm, en route to Raleigh-Durham International airport.

VP travel pool report #7 — AF2 departure from Durham

Wheels up at 3:13 pm. TVs in the cabin are tuned to the Pentagon briefing on CNN.

VP travel pool report #8 — AF2 arrival JBA

Wheels down 3:55 pm.

VP travel pool report #9 — Marine Two departure from JBA

VP disembarked AF2 at 4:07 pm and walked a short distance across the tarmac to Marine Two. She waved in the direction of the pool but that could've just been a coincidence, as she did not stop to chat. Wheels up at 4:14 pm.