Unions Respond To Donald Trump's White House Win
Although the Border Patrol Union was happy, most unions are rather upset.
By Peter List, Editor | November 6, 2024
Though it took some hours on Wednesday for Kamala Harris’ loss to Donald Trump for the Presidency to sink in, unions began sharing press releases expressing their disappointment.
The AFL-CIO’s Liz Shuler issued a press release stating (in part):
Presidential administrations change, but the labor movement’s values do not. We stand for the freedom to organize and for the right to collectively bargain. We stand for solidarity—the kind that is built when working people stand together to take on the biggest, richest bosses and the most powerful extremist politicians. Most importantly, we know how to fight back when anyone comes after our freedoms.
This result is a blow for every worker who depends on our elected leaders to fight for our jobs, our unions and our contracts. We organized for months to produce a nearly 17-point advantage for Vice President Kamala Harris with union members. But it is clear that the economic struggle working-class people are facing is causing real pain and neither party has sufficiently addressed it.
Now we are faced with the reality of a second Donald Trump term. The Project 2025 agenda promises to dismantle labor unions because we are a pillar of democracy and a check on power. We’ve seen assaults on our fundamental rights before. In the days, months, and years ahead, labor’s task will be to defend working people when it happens again. The labor movement gives voice and clarity to the struggles of working people—that’s what we do, and what we’ve always done. [More here.]
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) issued the following statement:
“The voters have spoken. While we hoped and fought for a different outcome, we respect both their will and the peaceful transfer of power.
“At this moment, the country is more divided than ever, and our democracy is in jeopardy. Last night, we saw fear and anger win.
“Over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of ‘could have, should have, would have.’ But the bottom line for most people who voted—and we saw many of them as we crisscrossed the country—was ‘who will help us improve our lives, the lives of our families and our communities?’
“We believed it was Kamala Harris; more people believed it was Donald Trump.
“At the same time, our opportunity engines—labor unions and public schools—remain popular and enduring. It means we must fight for the means and agency to secure a better life, and that public education and a growing labor movement are more important than ever. For example, while Trump won Kentucky, the ballot initiative there to destroy public schools lost.
“Many people today are devastated; many are excited. Many wonder whether the arc of the universe does bend to justice; many wonder whether our democratic institutions will hold.” [More here.]
Claude Cummings, the President of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) issued this statement:
The election is over, the votes have been counted, and Donald Trump has, once again, been elected President of the United States. While this was not the outcome that many CWA members and retirees had worked toward, I am proud of the work we did in support of pro-worker candidates.
Now it is time to re-unite around our shared values. No matter who is in office, our goals are always the same - to use our collective power to protect our rights, to improve our working conditions and give everyone an opportunity to have a union voice on the job. Corporate CEOs are intent on dividing us against each other so they can drive down wages and cut corners on safety to boost profits for big investors. We cannot let that happen.
Just as I was vocal in support of our endorsed candidates during the election, I will not hesitate to speak out when our union or our members are under attack for any reason. I urge every one of you, no matter who you supported in this election, to join me.
This is a time of challenge and transformation for our union and our country. We have faced difficult challenges before. We must move forward, together, as we fight for our families and our country’s future.
The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) issued its statement, as follows:
While Donald Trump won the election, union members turned out to vote for Kamala Harris – outperforming 2020 numbers – in large part thanks to outreach from unions like the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades’ (IUPAT). IUPAT General President Jimmy Williams Jr. spent the last month talking to union members at meetings and job sites in battleground states Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin to get out the vote for Kamala Harris and other union-endorsed candidates. Overall, union members like, trust, and vote with their unions, and the bus tour was successful in reaching, engaging, and moving members.
But the Democratic Party failed to offer a compelling working class agenda and the election results show as much. Working people en masse did not turn out for the Democratic Party, and either stayed home, or were instead lured by the divisive rhetoric and empty promises of Donald Trump. A second Trump administration will be disastrous for members of the IUPAT and the entirety of the working class.
General President Jimmy Williams Jr. released the following statement:
“Working people deserve a party that understands what’s at stake, and that puts their issues front and center when campaigning and governing. A potential Republican trifecta, along with Project 2025, will be catastrophic for unions, including my own. But if the Democrats want to win, they need to get serious about being a party by and for the working class.”
The National Border Patrol Council did not issue a formal statement but did post the following on X (formerly Twitter):
On behalf of the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council, we congratulate President-elect @realDonaldTrump and Vice President-elect @JDVance on their historic (but not surprising) win! We look forward to securing the border together and making this country safe again! #POTUS47 and #VPOTUS47 #MAGA
National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle released the following statement:
“As Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘The road to freedom is a difficult, hard road. It always makes for temporary setbacks.’
“This is not the outcome we campaigned for, nor the future we wanted for our students and families, but it is the road through history we now must travel.
“Today, we lament, and tomorrow, we organize because our students need us advocating for them now more than ever. Our values don’t change based on who wins or loses an election. And we will continue to advocate and organize for what we believe in with all our strength.
“As educators, we are united in supporting every student—Native, Asian, Black, Latino, newcomer, white, LGBTQ+ and disabled—who deserve high-quality, safe, and welcoming public schools. And as educators, we will continue to remind him that the government of the United States and those elected to office have a responsibility to serve all people.
“We know this outcome will create anxiety for so many of our students and their families. In the coming days, weeks, and months, we will care for students who are at risk of losing their rights, protections, and accommodations. We will console students who fear for members of their families and their place in our communities. And we will use our educator voices to speak out against politicians trying to harm any of our students. [More here.]