President Joe Biden is set to receive a significant endorsement from North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) on Wednesday, largely due to his infrastructure bill. This endorsement marks one of the earliest presidential endorsements from NABTU leaders, who are initiating an eight-figure organizing program to rally their 250,000 members in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The Teamsters, a member of NABTU, abstained from Tuesday’s board vote, according to insiders. They plan to make their endorsement after their upcoming convention. The support from NABTU, which boasts 3 million members nationwide, is more enthusiastic than its 2020 endorsement of Biden. This comes at a time when a significant portion of union rank-and-file has diverged from traditionally Democratic-aligned union leadership, raising questions about the political future of the next generation of union members.
NABTU President Sean McGarvey praised Biden in an interview announcing the endorsement, stating, “It’s almost like the perfect leader was sent at the perfect time for working people.” Biden is scheduled to appear at the union’s conference in Washington on Wednesday to officially receive the endorsement.
McGarvey acknowledged that Biden’s support is stronger among union leadership than many of its members, who were nearly evenly split in 2020 between Biden and Trump. However, he emphasized that Biden’s presidency is not “same old, same old.”
McGarvey also criticized Trump, stating, “He was one of the worst clients we ever had, because he rarely kept his word and it was a fight to get him to pay us back.” He contrasted this with Biden’s efforts for working people, citing the investments and union protections in the infrastructure act, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The union plans to fund outreach programs that will reach hundreds of thousands of members and their families in key states. “When you have the time to explain where these opportunities come from, their eyes light up, they say, ‘I didn’t vote for him last time, but man, he’ll have my vote next time,’” McGarvey said.
As for Trump, union leaders hope the former president feels their rejection, with McGarvey stating, “I really don’t give a f**k if he’s pissed.” A Trump spokesman did not respond when asked for comment about the endorsement and McGarvey’s comments about the former president.
In a statement about the endorsement, Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said Trump turned infrastructure “into a punchline,” but “Biden kept true to his word, and at every step of the way throughout his presidency, he’s fought like hell for union workers.”