International Courant
Early voting is going down in the US within the run-up to Tuesday’s presidential elections. Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris have each made last-minute efforts to courtroom union voters — a core voting bloc, particularly in swing states like Michigan, the place teams just like the United Auto Staff (UAW) have important affect among the many citizens.
Vice President Harris has acquired assist from key unions throughout the nation, together with the UAW, AFL-CIO and Service Workers Worldwide Union.
Harris additionally has the assist of the Worldwide Affiliation of Machinists and Aerospace Staff, the union behind the most recent Boeing strike, now in its eighth week. Boeing say pickers that if she joins them on the picket line it might assist her win extra votes.
In the meantime, former President Trump has additionally strengthened union assist, restricted as it could be. Members of the Teamsters union have made themselves identified stronger assist for the Republican candidate. Though the Worldwide Brotherhood of Teamsters has chosen to not endorse both candidate, the union’s president, Sean O’Brien, has campaigned with Trump and appeared in conservative-friendly media in assist.
Trump additionally acquired assist from the Worldwide Union of Police Associations. It comes regardless of Trump’s false claims about excessive crime charges in US cities, his 34 felony convictions and his marketing campaign owing cities throughout the US a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars}, a lot of it for police additional time.
Though Harris enjoys broader assist amongst union members – a 7 % lead over Trump as 50 % of union members say they imagine Harris’ insurance policies can be higher for unions than Trump’s — the latter has gained assist amongst union members by tapping into points which are high priorities for the broader citizens, akin to immigration.
“Union members who’re probably or might assist Donald Trump are literally not centered on collective bargaining or financial energy, however on points associated to immigration, points associated to a way of hazard from crime,” he stated. Bob Bruno. professor of labor and employment on the College of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, advised Al Jazeera.
Regardless of Trump’s success in stoking fears of “migrant crime,” violent crime within the US has steadily declined throughout President Joe Biden’s administration. The newest FBI information exhibits that the variety of reported violent crimes decreased by 10.3 % in comparison with final yr.
Al Jazeera analyzed the place the candidates stand on key points essential to union staff, akin to collective bargaining and wages. That is what we discovered:
About organizing
Harris has a reasonably constant report as a pro-union advocate and initially co-sponsored a significant staff’ rights invoice, the Defending the Proper to Set up (PRO) Act.
The PRO Act, initially proposed in 2019, would bar employers from interfering in union elections, permit the Nationwide Labor Relations Board to situation monetary penalties to corporations that violate labor legal guidelines and expedite return to work if staff depart their jobs to lose. results of a strike.
The invoice was reintroduced in 2023, however has not handed the US Congress. Harris stated she would signal the invoice if elected.
“The Harris marketing campaign is by far probably the most supportive of organized labor and collective bargaining, and the Trump marketing campaign is outwardly hostile to the thought,” Bruno stated.
Trump’s operating mate JD Vance voted towards the PRO Act and has been an outspoken critic of the laws. Vance has additionally rejected some Biden administration nominees to the Nationwide Labor Relations Board. In 2020, then-President Trump threatened to veto the PRO Act if it reached his desk.
The Trump White Home additionally made it more durable for staff to prepare, together with in 2019 when it eradicated a safety put in place throughout Barack Obama’s presidency that allowed staff to make use of firm e-mail to prepare.
“On the subject of Trump, his presidency has been an absolute catastrophe for working folks and for union members. All through his tenure, he did the bidding of CEOs of main companies and companies, from the massive tax breaks he gave them to creating it more durable for staff to prepare as a union,” stated Steven Smith, AFL deputy director of public affairs -CIO. , advised Al Jazeera.
In her capability as vice chairman within the Biden administration, Harris led politics White Home Process Power on organizing and empowering staff, with the aim of higher speaking staff’ rights inside federal companies.
However, Trump is overtly hostile to staff who push for higher working situations.
In a current interview with billionaire supporter Elon Musk on X, the social media platform that Musk owns, Trump raised the thought of firing staff who’re hanging, which might violate federal labor legislation.
The declare prompted the UAW to file a proper grievance with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board to research Trump and Musk for interference with staff’ rights.
On wages
Harris has stated that if elected, she would search to lift the federal minimal wage to $15 an hour — an essential situation for service sector staff and their respective unions as a result of the minimal wage has been caught at $7.25 an hour since 2009 . , its buying energy has declined nearly 30 %.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump works behind the counter throughout a go to to a McDonald’s restaurant in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania (File: Doug Mills/Pool through Reuters)
When requested if he would increase the minimal wage throughout a marketing campaign occasion at a McDonald’s franchise in Pennsylvania, Trump dodged the query.
In 2020, he stated he would like minimal wages to be set by the states.
“I believe it needs to be a state possibility. Alabama is completely different than New York. New York is completely different from Vermont. Each state is completely different. It needs to be a state possibility,” Trump stated on the time.
Thirty-four of the fifty U.S. states have raised their minimal wages above the federal minimal.
Meaning the remaining 16 nonetheless have a minimal wage of $7.25 per hour. So for folks working full-time 40 hours every week at that wage, their annual wage can be the identical simply $20 above the poverty line for a single family.
When Biden first took workplace, he promised to extend the federal minimal wage for all staff. However his efforts to get Congress to cross the laws have been blocked by Republicans and a handful of Democrats. Nevertheless, Biden unilaterally did what the federal government might do and raised the federal minimal wage for federal staff.
Each Trump and Harris have pledged to finish the revenue tax on suggestions if elected.
Harris has lengthy fought to enhance wages throughout the economic system. Throughout her time as legal professional normal in California, she launched a job drive meant to sort out wage theft within the state.
Nevertheless, it’s not clear how effectively these efforts have carried out. In 2022, it was reported that even when staff gained wage theft instances towards their employers, just one in seven have been paid out their misplaced wages inside 5 years.
Nevertheless, Trump has repeatedly argued towards elevating wages.
In 2015 he stated wages have been “too excessive”. Throughout that point, he additionally stated automakers ought to transfer their operations to the southern a part of the U.S. to “decrease wage states.”
Regardless of these coverage positions, Trump gained the union-heavy state of Michigan in 2016. Biden gained the state by 2.8 proportion factors over Trump in 2020, and now it is a useless warmth between Harris and Trump within the state. A group of political polls compiled by the polling web site FiveThirtyEight exhibits Harris with a slender lead in Michigan, however effectively throughout the margin of error.
In 2018, whereas president, Trump used an govt order to chop annual pay will increase for civilian federal staff.
Nevertheless, the Biden administration has fought to enhance wages for middle-class staff. In a number of job creation packages, the federal government has included a prevailing wage clause that requires corporations tendering for contracts to pay a residing wage to their staff.
“The center class goes to earn the prevailing wage for all these development and manufacturing facility jobs that include that massive federal subsidy,” Bruno stated.
About additional time
On the finish of Obama’s second time period, the Division of Labor stated all full-time staff making lower than $47,476 can be eligible for computerized additional time pay.
A decide in Texas blocked the rule earlier than it might take impact. When the plan threshold for reevaluation got here up in 2019, the Trump administration lowered it. The cuts meant employers solely needed to pay additional time for staff who earned $35,358 a yr or much less.
When the rule got here up for reconsideration once more this yr, the Biden-Harris administration raised the brink to $43,888 on July 1. On January 1, it should rise once more to $58,656. The plan will probably transfer ahead if Harris is elected subsequent week.
As for Trump, his allies on the Heritage Basis suppose tank need him to just do that, if he wins reverse the rule.
Trump has an extended historical past of not paying additional time throughout his time within the non-public sector. A 2016 USA Right this moment report discovered that his corporations violated additional time and minimal wage legal guidelines 24 occasions.
He echoed that sentiment in a marketing campaign speech this month. The Republican candidate advised supporters in Michigan that he “hated paying additional time.”
“Persons are shocked and scared as a result of if Trump takes away their additional time, they will not be capable of pay their lease on the finish of the month. That is the sort of factor that is at stake right here,” Smith stated.
Nevertheless, Trump has stated he needs to finish additional time taxes as half of a bigger tax plan if he’s re-elected.
“It is time for the working man and girl to lastly take a break, and that is what we’re doing, as a result of this can be a good one,” Trump stated at a marketing campaign rally in Arizona in September.
Neither marketing campaign responded to Al Jazeera’s requests for remark.
Regardless of main disagreements over staff’ rights, unions have been divided over Trump, Harris | Information concerning the 2024 US elections
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