Labor unions ramped up their efforts to help elect former Vice President Joe Biden to the presidency. The American Federation of Teachers on Sept. 31 launched a nationwide drive to turn out votes for Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris. The union has organized members to make calls and send texts to voters in 15 states, including the electoral battlegrounds of Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the leaders we need to confront the crises we face and to re-imagine a fairer and more just America,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a video to kick off the campaign.

The 2 million-member Service Employees International Union is focusing its efforts on both union and nonunion workers of color, including people who vote less frequently. SEIU is putting $150 million into its effort with the aim of repeated outreach to voters of color through text messages, direct mail and phone calls.

“We are going to make sure the voters in the communities that didn’t feel spoken to or [didn’t] feel like they had a reason to vote, are able to understand clearly why we have to elect Vice President Biden, Sen. Harris and champions up and down the ballot,” said Mary Kay Henry, the union’s president. 

The Hill, Sept. 29 and Oct. 1