I understand since I bet they do have a ton of rural white men as members, but as a union it really seems like the causation should go the other way.
A generation ago the union would tell you who to vote for and you just did it because the union was your primary identity. The math on which party is more pro-union hasn’t changed, just the priority people put on their membership vs other identity groups (or the politicizing of those other identity groups in the case of Evangelicals).
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The situation illustrates how Biden, who has described himself as the most pro-labor president in American history, still faces a challenge in securing the votes of rank-and-file union members, even if many prominent national labor organizations have thrown their support behind him.
The divide within the firefighters union was on display Monday when Biden traveled to Philadelphia for an event at a local firehouse to highlight one of the IAFF’s top legislative priorities — renewing and increasing funding for what’s known after the SAFER Grant program, which provides federal dollars to hire first responders.
Biden referred to Bresnan during his remarks Monday, detailing a call he placed to the local union leader after a row house fire in Philadelphia in 2022 that led to 12 deaths, including those of nine children.
On Monday, Biden came with a check — a $22.4 million SAFER grant that the White House said would allow the city to fund 72 firefighters’ salary and benefits for three years, while reopening three firehouses — including the one he visited, which would have been closest to the 2022 fire.
Support from the union was a key talking point for Biden’s 2020 campaign argument about his electability — especially after it had declined to endorse Hillary Clinton in 2016, a signal of her weakness among working-class, white, male voters that helped tip the balance for Trump.
Biden officials said the event on Monday was not indicative of any stepped-up effort to secure the IAFF’s endorsement — but simply the latest example of the president’s long-standing commitment to, and personal connection with, firefighters.
The original article contains 1,046 words, the summary contains 264 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
