As we approach Labor Day weekend, just 65 days from Election Day, the presidential campaign is entering its final phase.

This federal holiday also honors a group that both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris claim to champion: the labor movement.

“President Trump is making significant gains with union leaders and expanding the Republican coalition in an unprecedented manner,” stated Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt to YSL News, while attributing inflation issues to Harris.

In a memo from August 8 shared with YSL News, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, campaign manager for Harris-Walz, pointed out that union backing is essential for a Democratic victory.

“Kamala Harris has advocated for labor and workers’ rights throughout her career, from her role as State Attorney General to United States Senator, and now as Vice President,” Chavez Rodriguez noted, emphasizing Harris’s commitment to uphold the Biden-Harris administration’s pro-worker initiatives.

Although Trump had unexpected success with union workers in 2016, many of them switched back to President Joe Biden in 2020. Experts believe Biden’s popularity among union members will extend to Harris. Furthermore, unlike in 2016, unions may be more motivated due to recent significant strikes.

“It indicates that labor has some strength and energy,” Bob Bruno, director of the Labor Education Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told YSL News in an interview. “When you believe you can win you’re going to fight much harder.”

Harris’ Achievements: Experts Say She Contributes to Biden’s Union Favor

The Harris campaign appears to leverage Biden’s pro-union achievements as a way to explain the labor movement’s support for her, with Celine McNicholas, policy director at the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute Action, agreeing with this approach.

“There are aspects of the Biden administration that benefit workers, where I believe Harris deserves particular acknowledgment, since she was essentially the deciding vote,” said McNicholas.

She noted a stark contrast between the Trump and Biden administrations regarding their appointees to key positions.

“To evaluate an administration’s effectiveness in advocating for workers, it’s crucial to have nominees in important agencies who grasp the issues and champion workers and their right to unionize,” McNicholas explained, highlighting National Labor Relations Board general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, for whom Harris cast the critical vote.

Additionally, Harris led the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which aimed to eliminate obstacles to union formation.

“To me, these actions demonstrate her commitment and prioritization of these issues, indicative of the kind of nominees we might expect from her own administration,” McNicholas added.

Trump Harnessed Worker Discontent in 2016 but Cut NLRB Funding

Leading up to 2016, many workers’ rights movements were stalled, and Trump capitalized on that discontent, as McNicholas noted.

“He may have been the first Republican in years to genuinely address that frustration,” she remarked. “However, that’s where the support ends.”

She criticized his proposals to reduce funding for worker protection agencies, with the Economic Policy Institute labeling some of his administration’s efforts to dismantle worker protections as “unprecedented.”

“Despite the chaotic activity from the Trump administration, which often clouded their actual impact on various anti-worker policies, it seems some of his messaging resonated,” McNicholas said.

Notably, Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, a significant labor leader who has yet to make an endorsement, praised Trump at the Republican National Convention for having the courage to face criticism.

Harris’s Campaign Highlights Achievements, Commits to PRO-Act

Harris has garnered endorsements from numerous unions, according to her campaign. Prominent union leaders attended the Democratic National Convention, including United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who gained attention by displaying a “Trump is a scab” T-shirt.

The Harris campaign memo on her collaboration with unions highlighted her pro-labor history, dating back to her role as California Attorney General, where she tackled wage theft issues. While serving as a U.S. Senator, she participated in picket lines during two strikes, as noted in the memo. It also emphasized that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was once a union member of the National Education Association when he worked as a teacher.

A spokesperson for the campaign also mentioned that if elected, Harris would advocate for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act). This legislation aims to empower workers to organize and has successfully passed the House several times but remains unsigned into law.

The 2021 bill included provisions to dismantle “right-to-work” laws, which ease union funding by not mandating that members pay dues. Currently, 26 states enforce such laws, per the National Conference of State Legislatures, and it also aimed to broaden union membership criteria and prohibit certain anti-union tactics adopted by employers.

Trump Campaign’s ‘America First’ Policy for Workers

When questioned

The Trump campaign criticized the Biden-Harris administration for the rising inflation and current economic conditions, suggesting that union workers should consider voting Republican.

They presented a range of promises related to economic and foreign policy, which include:

• Implementing tariffs on imported goods, with previous mentions of rates between 10% to 20%, and a commitment to align U.S. tariffs with those from other nations.
• Re-establishing energy independence.
• Preventing Chinese and foreign entities from owning any vital U.S. infrastructure.

Bruno argues that these proposals may not genuinely benefit workers but instead play into the feelings of discontent among some in the working class regarding America’s competitive edge. Many economists concur that tariffs can negatively affect the economy, leading to reduced job opportunities and other adverse effects.

Bruno commented, “It’s a manipulative strategy that effectively taps into the frustrations workers experience, trying to shift their focus away from the facts about policies and their impacts on job creation.”

However, he emphasized that union voters tend to consider a variety of issues, such as immigration, abortion, and crime, rather than focusing solely on one priority.

While not officially endorsed by Trump, Project 2025 presents a pessimistic outlook for labor organizations, which McNicholas labeled “anti-union” and “anti-worker.”

McNicholas remarked, “It shows a fundamental misunderstanding of organized labor. This perspective is reminiscent of a time when labor movements were closely associated with white men, which does not reflect the current state of labor representation.”

Contributors: Joey Garrison; Jeanine Santucci