Campaign 2024 President Biden & VP Harris Campaign in Pittsburgh for Labor Day : CSPAN : September 2, 2024 8:17pm-9:00pm EDT : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive (2024)

more satisfaction than proving them wrong every damn time. you already to prove them wrong? [applause] because when we fight -- >> we president and vice

president of the united states, joe biden and kamala harris! [cheers and applause] ♪ [crowd cheering "joe"] ♪ pres. biden: whoa! [cheers and applause] hello, hello, hello! hello, pittsburgh.

[cheers and applause] [crowd cheering "thank you, joe" ] pres. biden: thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you. folks, i have celebrated many labor days in pittsburgh. [cheers and applause] and it is always good to be back with so many great friends. many of whom flew with me on air force one today. dave is not that old, but when i

was a 29-year-old kid. i want to thank liz shuler of the cio, and kinney of the ibew, who has strong endorsem*nts. by the way, in delaware, ibew, they are the ones you brought me to the dance, so i know. and the steelworkers. [cheers and applause] dave, in 1972, two steelworkers endorsed a 29-year-old kid named joe biden who wanted to be senator when elected. it matters. the largest labor forces in claymont, delaware come over 4000 workers. the iwa board, he said he wanted

me to get endorsed. it was crazy. i was literally not old enough to be sworn in the day i was elected, but guess what? they stuck with me. [applause] and they got stuck with me for the rest of my career. [laughter] the iron workers, brick layers, it's on you! [applause] and jimmy williams, his dad is a really good man. some of the best elected officials in america, governor

josh shapiro is doing an incredible job! [cheers and applause] and one of america's best mayors, and ganey. -- ed gainey. ed, you are doing a helluva job. it's one of the most difficult jobs in the politics. everybody thinks you can solve problems. i used to be a county official, it always bothered me, the federal government would send money to the state to be distributed to the counties. but guess what? under my administration, it goes straight to the county. [cheers and applause] one of my best friends, my name

is joe biden, i'm from scranton, pennsylvania. [cheers and applause] bobby has been a great friend, is that with a great friend as well. by the way, we grew up three blocks from one another, three blocks. they would still worry about me showing up. [laughter] guess what? they renamed northwestern avenue down where i lived "biden way." [cheers and applause] bobby! bob will make sure we get reelected again, and i want to thank his partner in the senate, john fetterman. [applause] if you are in a foxhole, john fetterman in there with you. he could not be here today, but

guess what? he sent the best part of the family, giselle, she is here. [cheers and applause] it means so much to be with true friends. the vice president and the next great president of the united states of america. [cheers and applause] i come from two neighborhoods where it is not hard to say the word "union," but you know what? an awful lot of politicians have a hard time saying it. i'm not one, and neither is kamala. we all know the simple truth. the middle-class built america, and unions built the middle class, and that is a fact!

[cheers and applause] and, by the way, that's not a slogan, that is a fact. i had the treasury department to a study, and it shows that when unions do well, all workers in america do better. that is a fact. [cheers and applause] that is a fact. the biggest thing for our economy, the strongest economy in the world today, because of unions. [cheers and applause] you know, my dad, like many of his generation, i got into world war ii, was unable to go to college. my dad was a really well read guy, and he was always engaged. he would come home from work before he would go back and close up the shop for dinner. you know, dinner was the place where we had discussions.

my dad taught me, he would say this all the time, and i give you my word to this, remember, joey, a job is a lot more than a paycheck. it is about your dignity, your community, it's about your place in the community, it's being able to tell your kid, "honey, it's going to be ok," and mean it. [applause] that is why kamala is so proud of the greatest job creation record of any president in a single term in american history. [cheers and applause] >> thank you, joe. pres. biden: 60 million new jobs so far, 800,000 manufacturing jobs. [applause] how many times did you hear

about, we would no longer be the manufacturing capital of the world. how was that written? we are the greatest manufacturing economy in the world. we are going to remain that way. i will tell you something, kamala and i are damn proud that we protected the pension of over one million workers, retirees. [applause] remember all those years of promising i was going to do something about it? well, dammit, we finally did it with the butch lewis act. over 52,000 retirees across the state of mania are benefiting from that. we got them back pay -- state of pennsylvania are benefiting from that. we got them back pay as well. as i once said to barack, that

is a big deal. yeah. that is a long story. yes, liz and kenny described another big deal, building infrastructure and building new manufacturing in america. they told us we could not get it done. $2 trillion, we got it done. remember, donald trump for two years from this infrastructure week. for four years, he did not do a damn thing, nothing! i mean it, nothing. pennsylvania so far has received $17 billion, $17 billion. [applause] over 2000 projects, from clean

water to affordable housing for every pennsylvanian, the project that includes $868 million to expand the montgomery rock, to accommodate bigger barges, to get millions of tons of goods to shelves, more reliable, and create thousands of union jobs. [applause] i was working on the great lakes, and i got a call from senator casey. there has been no bigger champion than casey to this. you know what i call him? the casey-locks, not goldilocks, the casey-locks.but he's also a champion of pennsylvania's energy community. 45 pennsylvania counties where energy jobs, such as coal mining, had been before, had

disappeared, before we came to office. casey had incentives to build new battery factories, wind turbines, and more, to create high-paying jobs in those coa andl natural gas communities. and on top of that, over $4 billion private companies have committed to investing in clean energy and manufacturing here in pennsylvania. $4 billion. [cheers and applause] and guess what? i signed an executive order to make sure large federal construction projects are project labor agreements. [cheers and applause] folks at home who may be watching know what the project is, when contractors, subcontractors, and unions put

in place before construction begins. to make sure they are on task, on-time, and by the way, on budget. [applause] another good deal, buy american! that has been the law since 1930. i'm only 40, but i've been around a long time. [laughter] 10 years ago, if you are not aware, back in the 1930's, when they were trying to make sure they law was passed that said every penny the president gets from the senate, the house, and congress to spend on a project, he should hire an american worker and use an american product. [applause] the past administration,

including my predecessor, failed to buy america, they shipped jobs overseas, and brought home a product that was more expensive. but not anymore. with projects we can build american roads, bridges, highways made with american product and by american workers. [applause] it is simple and basic. that's why we are creating so many well-paid jobs. many of those jobs don't require a college degree. in fact we expanded apprenticeships. remember all the hell i got for doing that? it resulted in hiring over one million apprentices since we came to office.

lots of folks don't realize getting an apprenticeship is like getting a college degree. why? you have to train for four or five years to get that and some of the best workers in the world are right where we are. i believe in american steel companies. american owned and operated steel companies. it's not hyperbole. american steelworkers are the best in the world and i have made it clear last time i was in pittsburgh, united states steel corp. and iconic american company for more than a century will remain an american company. [applause]

when i was a young said nurture, i met with a labor relations board that was so anti-labor. one of the most significant things we've done is appoint a national labor relations board that actually believes in the unions. it's a big deal. remember -- we have short memories. i'm all for forgiveness but not for this. trump appointed union busters on that board. it is real, it affects people's lives. are we going to let that son of a gun do that again? folks, we made a lot of progress and kamala will build on that.

i will be on the sidelines but i will do everything i can to help. i'm not joking when i say, when i said this in 2020, a lot of people did not believe me, it is all at risk because of donald trump. literally. you think this guy gives a damn about your pensions? >> [crowd says "no"] pres. biden: you think he cares about good paying jobs for hard-working people who built this economy? >> no! pres. biden: in regards to picket lines, he would rather cross one then walk one. well, i have no problem walking a picket line. [applause] never have. nor does kamala.

we will always walk alongside you. union workers built this country. that is not hyperbole, that is a fact. they are not campaign slogans. five years ago, i began my campaign for president right here in pittsburgh. i said one of the reasons i was running was to rebuild the backbone and spine of america, the middle class. not a joke, think about it. five years later, we've done just that. [cheers and applause] i'm back in pittsburgh on labor day to give you a supple message. -- simple message. as we look at this election, i have spent my whole career believing in unions. i'm not joking when i say that.

i'm honored to be considered the most pro union president ever. remember all the talk, biden will do a planned economy and it will be collapsing, interest rates will go through the ceiling. come on, man. i'm here to tell you, the strength of unions is what it is all about. just give them a fair shot. everyone in america deserves a fair shot. if you care about the dignity of work, and it matters, the way you are treated and the decency, i remember when my great grandfather was the second catholic elected statewide to the state senate here in pennsylvania and when they were

running against him in 1906, they said he is a molly maguire. you know what that was? back in the old days, when the irish and the catholics came, the poles and others, when they came to the united states beginning into the 1840's, they made their way down into pennsylvania. those guys who got their last where the last in the coal mines. a lot of the english owned the coal mines. what they did was they really beat the hell out of the mostly catholic population in the mines. not a joke. but there's a group they called the molly maguire's and they were taking advantage of an individual. they would literally kill him.

bring the body up and put him on the doorstep of his family. but i have to admit, they accused my great grandfather of being a molly maguire, he wasn't. but we were so disappointed. [laughter] that's a joke. it's about the dignity of work. it's about how you were treated. when i met with the ibew, i said there are two things they are asking of me and two things i'm asking of you. one, you have to open up the unions to more women. and two, more minorities. guess what? now we are 65% of americans

supporting the union. it really is all about the dignity of work. as long as you care about the dignity of work, there's only one person you can have a rational choice this time. and that is kamala harris. [cheers and applause] i know her. i trust her. not a joke, i trust her. number two. the first decision i made when i was nominated in 2020 was selecting her as my vice president.

it was the single best decision i have made as president of the united states of america. when they asked barack, they said, pick me as vice president because you know i can be. i know she will be a good president. i've watched her with all the experts, foreign and domestic policy, give us advice, that we sit alone in a room. and she has a backbone like a ramrod. she has the moral compass of a saint. this woman knows what she's doing. i promise, if you elect kamala harris as president, it will be the best decision you have ever made.

she will be a historic pro using president -- union president. we have one more job. let me ask you. are we ready to fight? are we ready to win? are we ready to elect kamala harris as next president of the united states? [cheers and applause] and in the process, are we ready to make donald trump a loser again? [applause] you have to remember who we are, the united states of america. there's nothing beyond our capacity, nothing, when we do it together. that means elect my friend, our great vice president, the next

president of the united states, kamala harris. vice pres. harris: good afternoon, pittsburgh! [applause] thank you, joe. >> [crowd chanting " thank you joe"] [applause]

vice pres. harris: it is good to be in a house of labor. and it is good to be back at ibew local five. and can we please give it up again for our president, joe biden. [applause] i don't have to tell the brothers and sisters of labor that you really get to know somebody when you are 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. 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. always. always. i have been with him when he will bring folks into the oval office. you know how joe can get sometimes, he doesn't spare words. sometimes the cameras are not in the room when he has those conversations. the thing about the joe biden i know, and i know you know, because he has been a 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] and i say to all the friends here in the press in the room, history will show what we hear no -- know. 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. joe and i talk a lot about the fact that we are so proud to be the most prounion administration in america's history. thank you. and as we know, joe still has a lot of work to do so let's also understand that. i want to thank all the incredible leaders here today including governor shapiro, lieutenant davis, senator casey who we will reelect this november.

all the leaders of labor who are here and the leaders who are here. i will get right to a few points. i love labor day. i love celebrating labor day. and pittsburgh of course is a cradle of the american labor movement. it is the birthplace of the afl, headquarters of the steelworkers, home to firefighters local one and of course the historic ibew local five. [cheers and applause] for more than 150 years, the brothers and sisters of labor have helped lead the fight for fair pay, benner -- better benefits and safe working conditions. every person in our nation has benefited from that work. everywhere i go, i tell people you may not be a union member but you better thank unions for that five-day workweek.

thank the unions for sick leave and paid family leave. thank unions for your vacation time. 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. and we are clear, not only has pittsburgh shaped the history of america's labor movement. today you are also shaping its future. in 2021 with my dear friend, the secretary marty walsh appointed to be secretary of labor, he and

i had a meeting in this local. it was part of the white house labor task force. that day we met with a group of computer programmers working to form a union. one month later, they signed their contract and became one of the first technology unions in our nation. standing on the shoulder of all those who have been here and fought the good fight. so pittsburgh, i remind us that to say together, we are fighting to build an economy that works for all working people. that has always been the vision of the labor movement. and that is the vision of our campaign. in this election, there are two very different visions for our nation. one, hours, focused on the future. the other, focused on the past.

we fight for the future. we fight for a future of dignity, respect, and opportunity for all people. we fight knowing it is backwards thinking for those folks to have been suggesting for years that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down. that is the stuff they are pushing. that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down, when we know the true measure of a strength of a leader is based on who you lift up. [applause] do you fight for workers? do you fight for families? do you fight for those who must

be seen and heard and deserves the dignity that comes with hard work? that's what we fight for. and when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. so we are 64 days out from this election. [laughter] ballots in pennsylvania will start dropping in 14 days. and this election is as much as anything else a fight for the promise of america. 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. i don't need to tell unions at the promise looks like. it is what you do every day. but as we fight to move forward, donald trump is trying to move us backwards, including back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize. well, we will handle november. >> [crowd chanting "we are not going back"] vice pres. harris: one of the ways we will guarantee we won't go back is that we remember. it's important to remember what

that was and what it is. as president, donald trump blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers. he opposed efforts to raise the minimum wage. as the president said, he appointed union busters to the national labor relations board. and don't forget, he supported so-called right to work laws. if donald trump were to be reelected, he intends to give more tax cuts to big corporations and billionaires. he intends to cut social security and medicare. he wants to impose what in effect would be a national sales tax. i call it the trump national sales tax come on everyday products and basic necessities that would cost a typical american family almost $4000 a year.

he intends to repeal the affordable care act 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 pre-existing conditions. remember what that was? children with asthma, breast cancer survivors, grandparents with diabetes. america has tried those failed policies before and we are not going back. [cheers and applause] we are not going back. and instead, we fight for a future where no person has to go broke just because they get sick. 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 fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to organize, and we will pass the proactive and end unionbusting once and for all and bob casey will help us do that. we see and know and fight for a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. 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. 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 our future. we can retire with dignity. we will continue to defend social security and medicare and pensions.

and we will continue to strengthen america's manufacturing sector. 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. and i will always have the back of america's steelworkers. 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. we know this will be a tight race to the very end. it will be a tight race to the very end so let's not pay too much attention to those pulleys -- polls. as unions and labor knows best, we know what it is like to be the underdog, and we are the underdog in this race. we have some hard work ahead of us. here's the beauty of us in this room. we like hard work. hard work is good work. [applause] and so in this fight, i will continue to count on the strength and determination and hard work of the leaders in this room to knock on doors, get folks to the polls and bluntly put, because the people in here do it, to help us win pennsylvania.

so today i asked, are you ready to make your voices heard? do we believe in freedom? do we believe an opportunity? do we believe in the promise of america? and are we ready to fight for it? and when we fight, we win! god bless you, god bless america. [cheers and applause] ♪

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