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Union workers make up 1 in 5 voters in swing states, according to the AFL-CIO. And the 2024 presidential race is so close that their votes could make a real difference in the outcome. While the unions themselves historically support Democrats, many of their rank-and-file members do not. NPR's Andrea Hsu explains.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: At a debate watch party the other week hosted by the United Auto Workers union, I met Lynda Jackson. She works in Detroit at a plant that builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Dodge Durango. She's one of the UAW's foot soldiers in this election, helping the union's chosen candidate, Kamala Harris, get out the vote.
LYNDA JACKSON: So I think it's going to take a little bit more convincing for some people than I thought.
HSU: Jackson says one challenge talking to her fellow UAW members is that despite winning big raises after striking last fall, many autoworkers still feel like they're struggling.
JACKSON: Grocery prices are extremely high. Your rent and mortgage rates - extremely high. So it's like, OK, I'm getting more money, but it's not going as far.
HSU: So she makes sure to talk up Harris' plans to help the working class, like her proposal to give first-time homebuyers $25,000 toward a down payment.
JACKSON: That's going to really help a lot of people, and they may not be thinking about those things.
HSU: What union autoworkers are thinking about, Jackson says, is whether their jobs are going to be moved to Mexico. They're wondering...
JACKSON: What is our government going to do to keep these jobs American jobs?
HSU: And Trump's promise to slap tariffs on foreign-made cars is resonating with some workers. Many haven't heard or don't believe economists' warnings that tariffs would make everything more expensive. Now, union voters have never been a monolith, but this year, the divide is striking given who's in the race. On one side, you have Kamala Harris, who, alongside President Biden, has led the most pro-union administration, perhaps ever.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: We will pass the PRO Act...
(CHEERING)
HARRIS: ...And end union busting once and for all. And...
HSU: And on the other side, you have Donald Trump who, as president, repeatedly sided with business over labor. Just last month, he went as far as praising Elon Musk for how he deals with workers.
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DONALD TRUMP: I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in (laughter), and you just say, you want to quit?
ELON MUSK: (Laughter) Yeah.
TRUMP: They go on strike. They - I won't mention the name of the company. But they go on strike, and you say, that's OK. You're all gone.
HSU: To be clear, nearly every major union has endorsed Kamala Harris, but there is one exception - the Teamsters, who represent more than a million truck drivers, warehouse workers, police officers and others. Internal polling showed members heavily favor Trump. But last week, the union announced it would be making no endorsement. Shortly after, several of the Teamsters' local and regional branches, including in swing states, endorsed Harris. That didn't stop Trump from falsely claiming he had won the endorsement.
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TRUMP: The Teamsters - I love the Teamsters.
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TRUMP: They delivered all that concrete for those buildings I built in New York.
HSU: Paul Clark, professor at Penn State, says it's not all that surprising to see the rank and file come out for Trump.
PAUL CLARK: I think the Teamsters historically have had a lot of Republican members.
HSU: And he says that hasn't changed under the Biden administration. Most of these members aren't thinking about who's standing up for unions, who's making it easier to organize.
CLARK: That's not part of their everyday experience.
HSU: Instead, Clark says, they're asking, who shares my views on social issues like gun control, transgender rights, abortion? Lynda Jackson, the autoworker we heard from in Detroit, thinks there's something else going on, too.
JACKSON: I also feel it has a lot to do with Kamala just being a woman.
HSU: Which is why she's focused on getting women to the polls this fall. Given how close the race is, she thinks they could be the deciding votes.
Andrea Hsu, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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