Donald Trump courted working-class voters, often remarking that he would be “much better for the unions,” even donning a safety vest, climbing into a garbage truck and briefly making french fries at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. But union leaders and workers in the Bronx are split about what the new administration will mean for them.
In an August interview with Elon Musk, Trump said he’d summarily fire striking workers.
“They go on strike, I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you say, “That’s OK, you’re all gone,” said Trump. “You’re all gone. So every one of you is gone.”
In response, the United Auto Workers filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
For the first time in 28 years, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters did not endorse the Democratic candidate, and Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention.
Labor leaders the Mott Haven Herald surveyed are nervous about what the incoming administration will mean for workers. However, some rank-and-file members hope the incoming president will uplift the country, including unions.
“The messaging from both [Trump] and those that he’s chosen to surround himself with indicates that we are definitely going to have an uphill battle to ensure workers’ rights do not go backward in this country,” said Lucia Gomez, political director for the NYC Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
The Communications Workers of America, whose Local 1101 counts 4,000 Bronx members, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris the day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
“On one side is a candidate who has always taken the side of corporate interests and is advancing a policy agenda for another term that would destroy our union and take away fundamental workers’ rights,” wrote the CWA National Executive Board, referring to Trump. But some members had different ideas.
“Shockingly, we were very split; there’s a lot of Trump supporters in the union,” said Matthew Rivera, chief steward for Local 1101. He worries about the Trump administration’s disregard for union workers, referencing the Trump and Musk podcast comments about firing striking workers.
Nick Santeramo, a telecommunications construction worker, asserts that Trump policies will benefit union workers. “With Trump in office, I believe he could reduce inflation, thereby enabling union workers to live more comfortably,” Santeramo said while on a job replacing cable under the Grand Concourse at 149th Street. “He will do great things for union workers.”
Ezequeel Delgado, a Verizon construction worker, feels similarly to Santeramo. “Trump has so much power and influence in the media that he wouldn’t want to fail at anything, especially by not doing right by the union workers,” said Delgado. “He will do great things for union workers, just like he would do for America overall.”
A few blocks away at Lincoln Hospital, members of the New York State Nurses Association couldn’t see things more differently.
“We support candidates that support our views and our values of caring for our communities and our patients,” said Sonia Lawrence, a director at large for New York State Nurses Association and critical care nurse at Lincoln Hospital. “We endorsed [Harris] because she support[ed] things that NYSNA stands predominantly for, like access to care and protection of worker’s rights.”
On Dec. 3, NYSNA held a speak-out on behalf of midwives at Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital. A congregation of midwives, hospital employees, and local politicians banded together on a frigid early winter day to advocate for a new contract. They want pay parity with other local hospitals, an end to chronic understaffing and support for their efforts to combat higher-than-average maternal mortality rates. Midwives at Jacobi and North Central have been without a contract for 17 months.
“What affects one healthcare worker affects all healthcare workers, and when healthcare workers are in trouble, NYSNA’s priority is to stand up and fight for the protection of our practice and the working conditions of all frontline nurses and other caregivers,” Lawrence said.
Gomez, political director of the NYC Central Labor Council, is cautiously hopeful about Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, Rep. Lori Chávez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), but acknowledges that she’s unsure how much sway Chávez-DeRemer’s will have within the cabinet.
Despite the uncertainty for labor with the incoming administration, Rivera said, “Our goal is to still get anybody – doesn’t matter what you are – a job so that you can be able to support and take care of your family.”
About Post Author
