Kamala Harris

Harris voiced support for raising the federal minimum wage at an Aug. 10 rally.

At the same rally in Las Vegas, Kamala Harris said she aims to end taxes on tips.

Not only did Harris call for an increased federal minimum wage, but she also called for an end to subminimum wages across the board ahead of the Sept. 10 political debate. The presidential candidate’s platform, posted in September, outlined her plans to end subminimum wages for both tipped workers and people with disabilities.

Kamala Harris

Harris’ legislative history offers little insight into her stance on workplace DEI initiatives but as governor of Minnesota, running mate Walz has voiced support for diversity efforts generally. He also signed a state pay transparency mandate into law — a move often aimed at improving pay equity.

Kamala Harris

Harris has indicated she’ll be tough on border security but has also worked to address “the root causes of migration” from Northern Central America alongside private-sector partners like Duolingo, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft and PepsiCo.

As California’s attorney general, Harris focused on transnational criminal organizations, taking a crime-centered approach to immigration policy that she highlighted at her July rally in Atlanta. As San Francisco district attorney, she worked to crack down on wage theft affecting immigrant workers.

Harris’ platform often outlined an interest in preserving and protecting “American” workers specifically.

Kamala Harris

Harris’ stance on job creation remains largely undefined. In Minnesota, Walz banked on construction and renovation projects to create jobs in the aftermath of the pandemic, but the state lagged behind national numbers.

In her platform, posted in mid-September, Harris said she will “continue to support American leadership in semiconductors, clean energy, AI, and other cutting-edge industries of the future.” She cited past involvement in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the American Rescue Plan.

Kamala Harris

Several union leaders have endorsed Harris. The United Auto Workers union, for example, backed her in July, later slamming Trump in August as “all talk.” And her pick for vice president, a former teacher, drew public support from the American Federation of Teachers.

Walz’ legislative history also indicates support for organized labor and expanded workers’ rights: The same state-wide bill that mandated paid family and medical leave for Minnesotans also banned non-compete agreements and barred captive audience meetings.

In Harris’ platform, her campaign declared she has been vice president of the “most pro-labor administration in history.” As president, she will sign the “landmark pro-union legislation,” including the PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, her site said.

During the Oct. 1 debate, Walz answered an economic question by saying he’s “a union guy” and supports the agricultural industry.

Kamala Harris

Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has suggested paid family and medical leave be the first thing Democrats do if they win the White House and control of Congress in the 2024 election. He has long supported paid leave, signing into law a Minnesota bill that will provide paid family and medical leave to most workers in the state come 2026.

Harris voiced support for six months’ paid family leave in 2019 and her legislative history indicates strong support for a mandate.

Walz explained how he championed paid family leave in Minnesota during the Oct. 1 debate and said that if Harris got elected, she would work to establish a paid family leave program nationally.

Kamala Harris

Harris would eliminate degree requirements for some public-sector jobs if elected, the candidate said at a Sept. 13 speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.