AFL-CIO's Trumka puts Democrats on notice
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Largest US union holds convention amid ‘right to work’ battles
FBN’s Jeff Flock weighs in on union workers’ feelings on President Donald Trump.
The AFL-CIO—the largest union in the United States—is holding its convention in St. Louis, Mo., this week, and its president, Richard Trumka, has been reelected by its members.
Trumka, who won his third four-year term, is putting the Democratic Party on notice, saying the nation's largest labor federation cannot count on its support in a blanket fashion anymore.
“We’ll find hope and opportunity for working people, not inside the major political parties, but inside our movement and our communities,” the AFL-CIO president said Tuesday on Twitter.
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AdvertisementPresident Donald Trump and Trumka have found common ground on issues such as renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), building the Keystone XL pipeline and infrastructure spending.
However, Trumka has been critical of the president, accusing him of breaking promises to workers. He said Trump's actions on subjects, including worker-safety standards, have eroded the commander-in-chief’s support among union members.
“We give [workers] the facts,” Trumka said at the opening of the AFL-CIO convention on Sunday. “Here’s what he’s promised. Here’s what he’s done. And his promises left people in the lurch.”