Harris struggling to gain support from men in labour unions

With the US election days away, Vice President Kamala Harris is struggling to secure the support of male volunteers in some labour unions whose phone calls and house visits are needed to get Democratic supporters out to vote, senior labour officials said.

Most unions have long supported Democratic candidates, and both Harris and President Joe Biden have backed unions in contract negotiations and championed workers' rights.

But Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was president from 2017-2021, has made inroads with union workers in recent years and any drop in support for Harris could be a decisive factor in the neck-and-neck race.

Liz Shuler, president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO, said enthusiasm for Harris is strong overall, but sexism is likely undermining support for her in some unions.

"Let's be honest, there are people who look at a female candidate and at face value dismiss her because, you know, she's perceived as not being presidential," she said.

Finding these men at home can be a challenge and the AFL-CIO is addressing the problem instead by visiting men at their job sites, where chances of a conversation to address their concerns are much higher, she said.

The problem is especially acute within the building trades unions like electricians and pipefitters, whose members are predominantly male and white.

Larger service unions, where membership is more diverse, have witnessed a growing gender gap, where a drop in male support has been offset by a surge in support from women, labour officials say.

It's part of a phenomenon playing out across the country that could be a pivotal factor in the election, Reuters polling shows - Harris is gaining with women, especially white women, while Trump is polling better with men than he was in 2020.

Most major unions have endorsed Harris, including the United Auto Workers union, but it is a mixed picture at the rank-and-file level across industries and different parts of the country.

Is support enough to help her win?

Support for Harris remains strong in Racine, Wisconsin, said Richard Glowacki, chairman of the UAW Local 180, which represents workers at CNH Industrial's sprawling tractor factory on the outskirts of that faded blue-collar city.

He called demand for Harris' and other Democrats' yard signs "unreal" and said retirees are actively getting out the vote.

But the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing workers ranging from airline pilots to zookeepers, decided not to endorse a candidate in this election after a poll of members found Trump led Harris by 59.6 percent to 34 percent.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Harris leading Trump 47 percent-36 percent among Americans who were union members or had a family member in a union.

Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for the Harris campaign, said steep losses in support among non-college-educated males could be made up by gains from non-college-educated women.

Union votes matter

Union workers make up one-fifth of the voters in battleground states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, says the AFL-CIO.

The three states, known as the "Blue Wall" for their importance to Democrats, are among the seven battlegrounds that will decide Tuesday's presidential election.

Unions are also key to Democrats' "Get out the vote" efforts in these states, and their members traditionally knock on thousands of doors ahead of elections to rally voters.

Harris has dismissed concerns that sexism could hurt her chances of winning the White House, saying the country is "absolutely" ready to elect a female president.