NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald said Vice President Kamala Harris has been supportive of the issues that matter most to federal employees. MANDEL NGAN / Getty Images
NTEU becomes latest federal worker union to endorse Harris
Unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO previously swapped out their Biden endorsements for the vice president shortly after he announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential campaign in July.
The National Treasury Employees Union on Thursday became the latest federal employee union to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential campaign.
NTEU joins the American Federation of Government Employees and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, both members of the AFL-CIO, on the list of labor groups representing federal workers to endorse Harris following her ascension to become the Democratic nominee this summer. AFGE and IFPTE had both endorsed President Biden in 2023, and then updated those endorsements after his withdrawal in July.
In a statement, NTEU National President Doreen Greenwald touted Harris' record supporting federal workers and empowering unions at federal agencies.
“When it comes to treating federal employees with respect, valuing their service and investing in their work, Kamala Harris is the clear choice,” Greenwald said. “She shares our values and our commitment to making sure that the federal government works for all Americans. She has been a strong advocate for the issues that matter most to federal employees: fair pay, paid family leave, adequate agency funding and staffing and robust collective bargaining rights.”
Though the endorsement makes no mention of Harris’ opponent, former President Donald Trump, his own record on workforce and labor issues likely played a large part in NTEU’s choice. While in office, the Republican nominee sought to reduce labor’s influence on the federal workplace and to strip tens of thousands of federal workers in “policy-related” positions of their civil service protection; he has vowed to revive the latter initiative if elected in November.
Greenwald also noted that Harris has cultivated a working relationship with the union throughout her political career, and values the non-partisan civil service.
“Harris has a long career in public service, which has given her a keen understanding of how the skilled civil servants who perform the day-to-day work of government are vital to our democracy,” she said. “She is a powerful voice for workers and their unions, recognizing that taxpayers are better served when the federal workforce is organized and empowered to help agencies meet their important public service missions.”