WASHINGTON — Randi Weingarten, head of the 1.7-million member American Federation of Teachers and a close ally of President Joe Biden, said she’d forgotten to bring something on stage with her at the union’s national convention in Houston, Texas on Monday.
“I don’t have tissues — I should, unfortunately,” Weingarten said, before thanking Biden for his achievements. A day earlier, Weingarten had been among the first labor leaders to express support for the newly announced presidential candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris.
“As you can imagine, my speech changed a lot in the last few days,” Weingarten told the audience.
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The sentiment reflects a bittersweet moment for organized labor, a key part of the Democratic coalition, which has indicated widespread support for Harris after remaining an ally of Biden up until his decision to step aside.
Within hours of Kamala’s candidacy, some of the nation’s …