Vice President Joe Biden rallied support Monday in Ohio, delivering a scathing rebuke of Ohio Republican governor John Kasich’s push to curb collective bargaining rights earlier in the year.
“It’s time to turn the tide in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida … and it seems to me that’s exactly what you’re doing here in Ohio,” Mr. Biden said. “This is the fight of your life.”
Mr. Biden, who delivered his speech the same day President Obama traveled to Michigan to deliver his Labor Day speech, urged supporters to continue a push to repeal a controversial collective bargaining bill passed by state lawmakers and signed into law by Mr. Kasich.
“Repeal this law your governor passed!” Mr. Biden yelled at an AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic.
“Vote, vote, vote your values,” Mr. Biden added, urging the crowd in the crucial presidential swing state. “This is about respect. This is about being treated as equals … It’s about the dignity of average, hardworking Americans … above all, it’s about basic fairness.”
Speaking in Michigan, Mr. Obama echoed Mr. Biden’s message, expressing support for labor leaders.
“If you want to know who helped lay these cornerstones of an American middle class you just have to look for the union label,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s the bedrock this country is built on. Hard work. Responsibility. Sacrifice. Looking out for one another. Giving everybody a shot, everybody a chance to share in America’s prosperity, from the factory floor to the boardroom. That’s what unions are all about.”
The pair of Labor Day speeches come as Mr. Obama is set to deliver a national address before a joint session of Congress on Thursday. The White House said Wednesday Mr. Obama will focus on putting forth a plan to lower the nation’s rate of unemployment, which remains above 9 percent.
Still, with the latest employment report from the Labor Department showing the nation’s rate of unemployment hovering above 9 percent, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden are likely to have their work cut out for them. Republicans have pounced on the Obama administration, saying the latest report is the latest evidence the nation’s current economic policies are failing to stimulate economic growth. Mr. Obama has charged the congressional inaction is stunting growth.
