3 Reasons a Trump Win in 2024 May Not Be Good News for Union Workers
An unlikely speaker at the 2024 Republican National Convention, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien addressed crowds not to show support for Donald Trump as a presidential candidate, but to sway Republicans toward union causes.
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Meanwhile, O’Brien’s invitation to speak came in an effort to sway blue-collar workers in the Midwest toward a Trump vote. More than half of American adults polled (51%) said they are both Democrat and members of a labor union, while those who say they are Republican and labor union members are only 23%, according to an article at MorningConsultPro. In addition, 56% of union members backed President Joe Biden in 2020, according to an AP News article.
“If Trump can get five to 10% more of those voters to vote Republican in this election that would be really huge and change the outcome of the election as a result,” Kevin Dockerty, a professor of political science at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, told WMMT, a CBS affiliate in Michigan.
“You know what I see, an American worker being taken for granted, workers being sold out to big banks, big tech corporate and the elite,” O’Brien told crowds at the RNC. “Working people have no chance of winning this fight. That’s why I’m here today [Tuesday] because I refuse to keep doing the same things my predecessors did.”
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Would a Trump Win Benefit Union Workers?
But would a Trump win really be good news or bad news for union workers? The Republican presidential candidate recently claimed to have no knowledge of “Project 2025,” a conservative manifesto that some are calling Trump’s blueprint should he enter the White House. The document has several anti-union components.
Yet, for some union workers, Trump may appear to be the lesser of two evils. Trump has voiced support for unions, declaring that he’s hired union workers for his real estate projects. And Trump’s vice president pick, JD Vance, appears to be pro-union. Like President Biden, Vance showed up on the United Auto Workers Union picket line. O’Brien praised Vance for his stance on labor issues. “JD Vance, the short time that we’ve worked together, he’s been great on Teamster issues,” he said during the RNC.
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’ prospective running mate — Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona — has failed to sign the PRO Act, a significant piece of pro-union legislation. He is one of only three Democrats in the senate who haven’t backed the act. It’s worth noting that Vance also failed to sign the key pro-union legislation, and Trump had threatened to veto a similar bill when he was in the White House. Let’s look at a few other key points from Trump’s last term so that union workers can decide if a Trump win would be good for most union workers or not.
During Trump’s Prior Term, the National Labor Relations Board Enacted Legislation Making It Harder for Unions to Organize
Trump appointed NLRB members during his presidency who voted to extend the time between when a union files for representation and when the election takes place. This gives anti-union company leaders an opportunity to convince employees to withdraw their support for unification efforts, according to CNN.
The NLRB also allowed employers to stop collection union dues once a collective bargaining agreement expires.
The Supreme Court Overturned A Ruling Requiring Non-Union Employes to Pay Fees to Unions
In June 2018, the Supreme Court ruled against a law that required non-union workers to pay “fair share” fees if their workplace has a union. These fees went toward collective bargaining.
Allowed Employers to Ban Use of Work Email for Union Organization
The NLRB under Trump allowed businesses to ban employees from using their work email for union purposes, Bloomberg Law.
These are just some of the actions Trump took during his prior term that sought to make it harder for unions to operate.
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