Harris v. Trump On Unions

August 20, 2024

The Contrast: Creating Union Jobs

As vice president, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the clean energy plan, which has already created over 330,000 jobs and over $370 billion in investments and includes strong incentives for companies to meet high labor standards. Harris led the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing, which has advanced dozens of policies strengthening workers’ bargaining power. In the Senate, Harris cosponsored legislation prohibiting policies that bar unions from automatically charging members of a bargaining unit a membership fee, legislation to ensure public infrastructure investments protected workers’ rights and union jobs, and legislation that codified the “card check” system for union elections.

Trump’s trade policies cost America around 75,000 manufacturing jobs, and over 600,000 clean energy jobs were lost in part due to Trump’s trade wars and letting tax incentives lapse. In addition to job losses, Trump’s rules on overtime pay made over 8 million workers ineligible – costing over $1 billion per year in lost wages.

Harris Cast The Tie-Breaking Vote For The Clean Energy Plan, Which Supports Union Jobs

As vice president, Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the clean energy plan, which has created over 330,000 new jobs and sparked over $370 billion in investments. The clean energy plan includes incentives for projects to meet high labor standards, such as prevailing wage requirements and utilization of qualified apprentices.
Under the clean energy plan, projects that pay prevailing wages to workers for construction, alteration, and repair of clean energy projects and hire registered apprentices to work on clean energy projects will receive a fivefold increase in clean energy deployment tax credits.
An August 2024 report from the Climate Jobs National Resource Center identified 6,285 utility-scale clean energy projects planned, under construction, or already operating, that could be eligible for the clean energy plan’s labor standards tax credits. Combined, these projects represent a potential 3.9 million jobs, over $2 trillion in investment, and over 1 million megawatts of clean power.

Harris Advocated For Unions And High Labor Standards In The Clean Energy Industry

Harris holds a record of championing union labor in the clean energy industry. In the Senate, Harris cosponsored the Build Local, Hire Local Act, which ensured investments in public infrastructure allowed for project labor agreements, and protected prevailing wage requirements.
The Biden-Harris administration has been a strong advocate for increasing union labor in clean energy projects, and workers in the clean energy sector across the country are seeing the impact of their investments:

Equinor signed a project labor agreement with the IBEW for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, a staging area for commercial-scale offshore wind farms. The project was made possible in part through investments made by the Inflation Reduction Act, which Harris played a key role in passing and casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.
Investor-owned utilities in Wisconsin signed a pledge to use union labor to the “fullest extent possible” in utility-scale renewable energy installations.
Dominion Energy in Virginia signed a project labor agreement with the Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Laborer’s International Union of North America (LiUNA!) Mid-Atlantic Region for work on the first phase of the company’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind commercial project.

In her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris advocated for high labor standards in clean energy infrastructure projects and pledged to fight for union jobs to be created across the clean energy industry.
As vice president, Harris led the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which has helped advance dozens of policies that make it easier for workers to organize and strengthen workers’ bargaining power.

Trump’s Policies Destroyed Americans Jobs And Wages

Trump’s trade policies cost around 75,000 manufacturing jobs and over 600,000 clean energy jobs were lost partially due to trade wars and letting tax incentives lapse – setting America back.

Trump changed rules around who qualifies for overtime pay, making over 8 million workers ineligible, and costing over $1 billion per year in lost wages. Trump also reduced the number of OSHA inspectors, and weakened penalties for companies who failed to report violations.
As president, Trump promised to veto the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, legislation that would shift power away from corporations and CEOs to workers.

The Contrast: Supporting America’s Auto Workers

Vice President Harris has long supported auto industry workers and has championed union labor in the auto industry. In 2019, she joined United Auto Workers members on the picket line, while Trump was silent. As vice president, Harris announced a $100 million investment in union training programs in the electric vehicle industry as well as a $1.7 billion grant program to boost EV manufacturing, which enabled manufacturers to retain 15,000 union workers and create over 2,900 new jobs.

Trump, on the other hand, supported offshoring American jobs, providing over $115 billion in federal contracts to companies that offshored jobs, and even suggested moving car production from Michigan to lower-wage states. During his 2024 presidential campaign, the United Auto Workers union filed federal labor charges against Trump after he publicly praised the practice of firing employees who threatened to go on strike. Trump has also called for UAW president Shawn Fain to be “fired immediately.”

Harris Championed Union Labor In The Auto Industry

The Biden-Harris Administration announced $1.7 billion in grant funding to boost EV manufacturing and assembly at at-risk auto manufacturing facilities.
- The eleven selected projects would retain 15,000 union workers and create more than 2,900 new jobs.
Harris has championed union labor in the electric vehicle industry. As vice president, she announced a $100 million investment to support autoworkers and suppliers. The investment went towards union training programs and helped small and medium-sized suppliers convert to electric vehicle manufacturing while retaining union jobs.
In 2019, Harris joined United Auto Workers members on the picket line strike against General Motors.

Trump Sent Jobs Overseas And Suggested Moving Auto Production To Lower-Wage States

In 2015, Trump suggested moving auto production from Michigan to lower-wage states and right-to-work states as a way to keep companies from moving to Mexico.
Under Trump, job offshoring increased, with nearly 2,000 petitions for companies to shift work overseas, covering nearly 200,000 jobs.
Trump said outsourcing is “not always a terrible thing,” and said foreign labor was “sometimes” a “necessary step.”
Trump pushed for and signed a corporate tax cut bill that gave companies a 50 percent tax break on foreign profits, encouraging them to move jobs overseas, and gave over $115 billion in federal contracts to companies that offshored jobs.
Trump repeatedly refused to issue an executive order preventing federal contracts from going to companies that send jobs overseas.

Trump Repeatedly Attacked The United Auto Workers Union

Trump was silent during the 2019 United Auto Workers strike against General Motors.

The United Auto Workers union filed federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk after they publicly praised the practice of firing employees who threatened to go on strike.
Trump called for UAW president Shawn Fain to be “fired immediately” and said the UAW “ought to be ashamed” over large factories “being built across the border in Mexico” and “by China” to sell cars.

The Contrast: Advancing Workers’ Rights

Harris has supported pro-worker and pro-union policies throughout her entire career. As Attorney General, Harris established a landmark cooperative task force with the U.S. Department of Labor to fight against employer wage theft and illegal labor practices. In the Senate, Harris led on legislation including the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and legislation to protect workers during COVID-19.

During Trump’s administration, over 1,500 regulatory actions were delayed or canceled, many of which rolled back worker safety protections, and under Trump, wages, especially for manufacturing workers, declined. Trump also reduced the number of federal workplace health and safety inspectors and weakened penalties for companies who failed to report safety violations.

As Attorney General, Senator, And Vice President, Harris Championed Workers’ Rights

In 2015, Harris established a landmark cooperative task force with the United States Department of Labor to fight against and increase investigations and enforcement of employer wage theft and illegal labor practices.
In 2016, Harris’ office supported the Supreme Court’s decision in the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association case, which concerned the rights of California’s public employee unions to engage in political speech.

In 2019, Harris cosponsored the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act, the first-ever national legislation that ensures the rights and protections for millions of workers in the U.S.
In 2020, Harris sponsored legislation to strengthen Occupational Safety and Health Act protections and establish standards to prevent exposure to excessive heat.
In 2020, Harris sponsored legislation to establish whistleblower protections for workers who speak out on misspending of COVID-19 relief funds, or speak out against employers endangering public health.

In 2017, Harris voted against a resolution that overturned a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule banning the use of forced arbitration clauses.
In 2017, Harris voted against a resolution that overturned an Obama administration rule requiring employers to keep records of serious work-related injuries and illnesses.
In 2018, Harris urged Education Secretary Betsy Devos to rescind a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees and return to the negotiating table, accusing the Department of Education of violating federal labor laws.
In the Senate, Harris cosponsored legislation to protect the rights of workers, including legislation to provide overtime protections, require employers to adhere to fair scheduling practices, and ensure state and local government employees have similar rights as federal government workers.

Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign pledged to strengthen the labor movement and restore power to workers, saying she would “make sure every worker is able to join a union and bargain for better wages, benefits, and conditions at their workplaces” and hold corporations accountable to workers.
Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign pledged to ban “right to work” laws and strengthen union protections for private-sector employees.
Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign promised to fight for policies that ensure companies couldn’t replace workers who go on strike and called to reinstate the Obama-era “joint employer” standard, which removed loopholes for employers to stop workers from organizing or engaging in collective bargaining.
In her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris pledged to require high labor standards for clean energy infrastructure projects and to fight for the creation of union jobs across the clean energy industry.

Trump’s Policies Favored Corporations And Hurt American Workers

As president, Trump delayed or canceled at least 1,500 regulatory actions, many of which rolled back worker safety protections and affected several industries. Under Trump’s presidency, wages, especially for manufacturing workers, declined.
Trump’s 2017 tax law made it more expensive to be a union member and eliminated deductions for union dues. The law also included a $1.35 trillion handout to big corporations and was expected to raise taxes on a majority of taxpayers by 2027.
In 2018, Trump signed a series of executive orders that decimated unions’ power, weakened their ability to bargain contracts, and limited the time union representatives could spend assisting members with complaints.

Trump Appointed Labor Officials Who Opposed Workers’ Rights

Trump appointed Eugene Scalia as Labor Secretary, who had a history of representing corporations such as Walmart and Boeing against employee health care and unions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Scalia limited access to unemployment benefits, and made it easier for employers to not pay for family leave benefits.
As president, Trump appointed anti-worker and anti-union members to his National Labor Relations Board who sought to roll back worker protections.
Trump’s NLRB General Counsel, Peter Robb, who spent most of his prior career representing employers, was “deeply unpopular” with union leaders and was accused of demoting government officials who resolved NLRB cases. He was also accused of trying to settle a high-profile case against McDonald’s to benefit the company.
Trump packed the courts with anti-labor judges, leading to the Supreme Court to decide in a case that makes the public sector “right to work” and financially weakened unions.

The Contrast: Supporting Strong Unions

Harris has put unions at the forefront of her tenure as vice president, meeting with several union members and leaders, and has said she was proud to “lead the most pro-union administration in our nation’s history.” Vice President Harris led the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which raised the number of federal employees in unions by 20 percent, and helped to advance dozens of pro-worker policies.

As president, Trump appointed several anti-union members to his National Labor Relations Board, as well as his Labor Secretary, who during the COVID-19 pandemic, limited unemployment benefits, and made it easier for employers to not pay for family leave benefits. Trump also promised to veto the PRO Act, as well as the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act. Prior to his election, Trump had a history of opposing unionization efforts at his businesses as well as mistreating workers. Trump said he would prefer to work without unions, and bragged about how he “fought the unions” to build the Trump World Tower.

As Vice President, Harris Advanced Union Efforts

As vice president, Harris led the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. In February 2022, the task force issued its first report, which contained over 70 recommendations. In the year after the first report was released, nearly 80,000 federal employees had joined a union, an increase of 20% of dues-paying union members in federal agencies.
- The White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment helped advance dozens of policies making it easier for workers to organize and to strengthen workers’ bargaining power.
In 2021, Harris met with members of the United Steelworkers to address the importance of promoting union organizing on a national level.
In 2022, Vice President Harris spoke about how unions are to thank for benefits that workers receive today including a five-day workweek, sick leave, and safer working conditions.
In 2022, Harris delivered the keynote address at the Greater Boston Labor Council’s Annual Labor Day Breakfast, and said she and President Biden were “determined to lead the most pro-union administration in America’s history.”
In 2024, Harris spoke to the American Federation of Teachers and supported union organizing efforts and praised unions as the foundation of the middle class.
In 2024, Harris said she was proud to “lead the most pro-union administration in our nation’s history” and called the right to organize “sacred.”
Harris opposed the Trump administration’s executive order limiting workers’ ability to engage in representation efforts while on the clock.
In 2021, Harris served as the tie-breaking vote on the nomination of former Communication Workers of America counsel Jennifer Abruzzo to serve as General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board.
In 2021, Harris was the tie-breaking vote for the American Rescue Plan, which protected over one million pensions for union workers and retirees.
Harris cast the tie-breaking vote for the clean energy plan, which has created over 330,000 new jobs and sparked over $370 billion in investments. The clean energy plan includes incentives for projects to meet high labor standards, such as prevailing wage requirements and utilization of qualified apprentices.

In The Senate, Harris Supported Pro-Union Legislation

Harris has repeatedly supported expanding union labor. Harris, in 2018, cosponsored the Workplace Democracy Act, which codified the “card check” system for union elections. In her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris pledged to strengthen the labor movement and “make sure every worker is able to join a union.”
In the Senate, Harris cosponsored legislation that fought for unions, including legislation prohibiting policies that bar unions from automatically charging members of a bargaining unit a membership fee.

Trump’s Long Anti-Union History

Trump has a history of opposing unionization efforts at his businesses and has said he would prefer to work without unions.
In 2015, workers at Trump’s Las Vegas hotel rallied for the right to unionize. In response, it was alleged that the Trump hotel suspended workers, and used physical assault, abuse, threats, and intimidation to stop union activity.
In 2016, Trump bragged about how he “fought the unions” to build the Trump World Tower.
In 1980, Trump Tower’s contractor hired undocumented Polish laborers for demolition work, where they were underpaid, threatened with deportation, and worked 12-hour shifts without proper safety equipment. A foreman testified that Trump knew about the Polish workers, and Trump later paid over $1.3 million to settle a class action lawsuit related to the mistreatment of workers in the demolition project.
In 2024, Trump praised Elon Musk for firing workers who go on strike, calling Musk the “greatest cutter.”