(NewsNation) — Hospitality workers union UNITE HERE has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as she continues to ramp up her campaign for the presidency.
The endorsement comes after former President Donald Trump suggested he would remove taxes on tips to woo voters who work in the hospitality sector.
It’s an idea that has bipartisan support. Trump announced his pledge to not tax tips at a rally in Nevada, where Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both Democrats, supported the idea. The Biden administration, meanwhile, has focused on raising the minimum wage for tipped workers rather than focusing on tax-free tips.
In the endorsement, the union said Harris had demonstrated “unwavering support” for workers and mentioned her efforts to get free COBRA health insurance for laid-off workers during the pandemic.
In contrast, the union said a Trump administration would remove health care protections while adding voting rights restrictions, abortion bans and mass deportations that would negatively impact hospitality workers.
“Our members cannot afford to go back to Donald Trump’s disastrous leadership. Another Trump presidency would mean four chaotic years of defending against his attacks on unions, working people, immigrants, women, and others,” said UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills.
UNITE HERE operates a canvassing operation that is gearing up in tandem with hotel workers’ plans to vote on strike authorizations to demand higher wages and the reversal of COVID-era staffing cuts.
The union said it would mobilize canvases for Harris, saying members would knock on more than three million doors in key states, including Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan.