Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris is hoping to rally Iowa voters by campaigning with a recently jailed labor leader whose union was forced to pay its organizers $1.3 million in back wages.
Fresno County deputies arrested United Farm Workers (UFW) co-founder Dolores Huerta at an August protest after she allegedly ignored orders to disperse. Huerta joined California home health care workers to advocate for a wage increase, but the labor organization she founded has admitted to stiffing its own employees. In 2017, the union paid $1.3 million to former field organizers in back wages, penalties, and attorney fees stemming from a long-running lawsuit.
Harris is hosting a house party this weekend with Huerta, aiming to revive her support in Iowa after recent polling found the California senator receiving just 5 percent support in the state, a 13-point drop since July. Following the rapid decline in support, Harris’s campaign confirmed she will spend half of October in Iowa in an attempt to “slingshot” her campaign.
“I’m f―king moving to Iowa,” Harris reportedly said to Sen. Mazie Hirono (D., Hawaii).
The Harris campaign did not respond to request for comment. – READ MORE