Vice Presidential Pool Reports of September 5, 2022

VP Travel Pool report #1 - Wheels down in Boston

Good morning from Massachusetts,

Vice President Harris landed at Boston Logan International Airport under overcast skies at 9:44 a.m.

VP Travel Pool report #2 - leaving Logan

[APP Note: No additional text was included in this report.]

VP Travel Pool report #3 arrival at Boston Park Plaza

VP's motorcade makes easy work of light Boston Labor Day traffic, arrives at Boston Park Plaza Hotel (50 Park Plaza, Boston) at 10:15 after 12 minute drive.

VP did not interact with public before entering the building at 10:16 for the event.

The Greater Boston Labor Council Breakfast is a near required campaign stop for Democrats seeking support from local unions. The event returns for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Former President Barack Obama spoke at the event in 2015.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was speaking when motorcade arrived.

VP Travel Pool report #4 - remarks at Boston Labor Council Breakfast

VP takes the stage at 10:57 a.m. begins remarks immediately. She stands behind a podium on a stage in front of the Greater Boston Labor Council Breakfast audience. The VP is in a dark khaki suit with a cream colored shirt.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Attorney General Maura Healey (a candidate for Governor), labor lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan(AG candidate), and seven term Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, State Sen. Dianne DiZoglio (auditor candidate) spoke before she took the stage.

Some background info provided by WH:

Administration Actions

The Vice President chairs the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh serving as vice-chair.

Established in April of 2021, The Task Force is comprised of over 20 participant agencies, offices, and White House components, counting 13 cabinet secretaries as members.

In February 2022, the task force released its 1st report, which included more than 70 actions that the federal government can take to make it easier for workers to organize, such as leveraging federal government purchasing/spending power to support workers who are organizing.

President Biden 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.

In May 2022, the VP and Sec. Walsh held a roundtable with a diverse group of young, grassroots worker organizers, including Christian Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union and Laura Garza of Starbucks Workers United, to discuss their extraordinary efforts to organize unions in their workplaces.

VP Travel Pool report #5 - excerpts from speach at breakfast

The VP spoke to an enthusiastic audience and several remarks drew loud applause and cheers.

Excerpts from speech

• "Let us be clear: Our whole nation benefits from your work. Because when union wages go up, everybody's wages go up. When union workplaces are safer, all workplaces are safer. And when unions are strong, America is strong."
• "In Congress and in state houses across our nation. Extremist so-called leaders are fighting to turn back the clock…To a time before workers had the freedom to organize. To a time before women had the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies. To a time before all Americans had the freedom to vote. Today in America, our communities are being terrorized by gun violence. And yet these extremist so-called leaders are fighting to keep assault weapons on the shelves. Today in America, so many working families are struggling to get by. But instead of standing with working people to lower the price of healthcare, education, and childcare. These extremist, so-called leaders prioritize breaks for big corporations and the wealthiest one percent."
• "To rebuild our nation's infrastructure, we need you. We need plumbers and pipefitters in Malden and Chelsea to replace the lead pipes in schools and homes. And to help us replace every lead pipe within ten years - which is our goal. We need electrical workers in Northampton and Essex to lay the fiber optic lines that bring high-speed internet to every household in America - during the height of the pandemic it became clear - you want to talk about inequities in the system...And we need the hard-working members of Boston's building trades to build new bus lanes and sidewalks in Roxbury. And to make upgrades to Logan."
• "For years, and I have seen this since I was Attorney General of California...and for years, the largest drug companies have made billions of dollars in profits. Selling drugs for ten or a hundred times what they cost to make, you all know what I'm talking about. For years, Big Pharma has tried to grow their profits by preventing Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices. For years, so-called leaders supported this injustice. And for years, they got away with it. But we said enough. Last month, our Administration - because of your support - gave Medicare the power to negotiate on behalf of over 60 million people. That's the power of collective bargaining."
• "Many promised it before: we did it."
• "Just last month the president signed a law that will cap the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 per month"
• "Boston knows this: when we fight we win and so we fight knowing there is more work to be done."
• "We know what's at stake. We know what we stand for. We know when we fight we win. We love our country so much."

VP Travel Pool report #6 - remarks end, roundtable begins

VP is seated and begins roundtable at 11:27 a.m. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, U.S. Rep Ayanna Pressley, AG Maura Healey join her along with labor leaders.

VP spoke for three minutes, thanked Markey and Pressley, praised Healey's work as AG.

Healey thanks Harris for coming.

"We're really honored to be here today for this conversation," Healey.

Markey thanks Harris and President Biden for "running the most pro-union administration in history."

"We've seen a 58% rise in the last nine months among union organizing," Markey said.

Pressley spoke next, followed by union members.

Pool press leaves room at 11:57 a.m. VP's Motorcade departs Boston Plaza at 12:27 p.m. enroute to Logan International Airport.

Roundtable Participants:

Attorney General Maura Healey, Massachusetts
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
Senator Ed Markey
Brian Doherty, Secretary-Treasurer, Boston Building Trades (Moderator)
Desalia Gomes, Apprentice at IUEC Local 4, Elevator Constructors Union Local 4 6.
Chaton Green, Sprinkler Fitter, Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 550
Kylah Clay, Starbucks worker, Workers United (SEIU Aligned)
Angie Muse, New England Joint Board UNITE HERE, Barista at Allston
Koby Ljunggren, Biophysics Ph.D. Student Harvard University, President of UAW Local 5118

VP Travel Pool report # 7 - Wheels up(final)

VP arrived at Logan International Airport at 12:37 p.m. under a light rain.

She shook hands with Mass State Police troopers, took a picture with local staff, and then boarded AF2 at 12:42 p.m. She did not take questions from the media.

AF2 rolled at 12:52 p.m.

Wheels up on AF2 at 12:54 p.m.

That wraps your Boston Travel Pool Reports. Email or text with questions. Thanks for tuning in!