Wisconsin's delegates highlight labor unions at the DNC

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Unions are taking center stage at the Democratic National Convention, with more than half a dozen union leaders speaking on the stage Monday night.

“She’s been there for unions from the start,” Garrik Harwick a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and Rock County delegate said.

Wisconsin’s delegation features numerous labor and union members, from carpenters to electricians to teachers.

Gary Hawley is one of those delegates. He was a union carpenter for 45 years, before retiring.

“Democrats support unions and unions support Democrats,” Hawley said. “We’re one and one.”

A lifelong Democrat, this is Hawley’s eighth national convention.

“The unions getting behind Vice President Harris is really a great thing to see,” Hawley said.

Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, a delegate and president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council said the Democratic party’s values and unions go hand-in-hand.

“All of us deal with our own economic issues,” Wirtz-Olsen said. “As a teacher, I’m trying to make ends meet every single day. My colleagues and I are reaching into our pocket, paying for school supplies.”

Meeting other Wisconsin union delegates, Wirtz said she’s energized.

“To have other delegates here who are unionists, says to me, that our values in Wisconsin that have always been about the middle class and supporting families, means that we are gaining strength again,” Wirtz said.

At the Wisconsin delegation breakfast, these delegates said the Democratic ticket will keep union workers employed, from infrastructure projects funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to semiconductor production with the CHIPS and Science Act.

“The IRA and the CHIPS act directly impacted IBEW and provided hundreds of thousands of jobs for the future,” Harwick said.

Unions historically back the Democrats, but just last month Teamsters President Sean O’Brien became the first-ever union president to address the Republican National Convention.

The Teamsters represent over one million members across the nation, and have yet to provide an endorsement for president.

A spokesperson for the Teamsters told WMTV 15′s State Capitol Bureau Chief that O’Brien asked to speak at the DNC, but never heard back from the Democrats.

In response, a spokesperson for the DNC wrote a retired Teamster is slotted to speak on the DNC stage on Tuesday night, and that Vice President Harris accepted an invitation from Teamsters leadership to sit down for a roundtable.

Both Democrats and Republicans are hoping these powerful union leaders can influence their members to support their side and ultimately decide the election.

Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2024 WMTV. All rights reserved.