I’m an Economist: 3 Ways Trump’s VP Pick JD Vance Could Impact Union Workers
Written by
Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy
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Travis Woods
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Former president and presidential nominee Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick J.D. Vance has garnered a lot of attention since he was announced as his running mate at the Republican National Convention (RNC) last month.
With a few weeks away from the elections, his positions on several economic issues are being scrutinized, including those on union workers.
It’s notable that Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, spoke at the RNC, “becoming the first boss in the organization’s 121-year history to address the convention,” as CBS News reported. The Wall Street Journal also noted that “his presence represents a shift in union voters away from the Democratic Party.”
Meanwhile other labor leaders strongly voiced their opposition to Trump’s pick.
For instance, AFL-CIO president Liz Schulyer deemed a potential Trump-Vance White House “a corporate CEO’s dream and a worker’s nightmare,” according to a July 15 announcement.
Meanwhile, Sara Nelson — international president of the Association of Flight Attendants said in a July 15 post on X (formerly Twitter):
“JD Vance is just another shill for the corporate class who will sell out workers to corporate America. This ticket isn’t pro-worker or pro-union. It’s the billionaire ticket through and through.”
Here are some ways experts say Vance could impact union workers.
Revive Private Sector Labor Union Membership
J.D. Vance has given every indication that he wants to revive private sector labor union membership because he believes that these jobs are at the core of a working-class revival in America, said Richard M. Reinsch II, editor-in-chief at American Institute for Economic Research.
“While not yet breaking with bedrock right to work principles in the Taft Hartley Act [which limited unions’ rights to strike and boycott, according to FindLaw] Vance moves closer to such a decision with his rhetoric and public support for a $20 minimum wage, blanket opposition to international trade, and walking a UAW picket line in Toledo, Ohio in 2023,” he said.
He Would “Undermine Unions”
Valerie Samuels, Esq. plaintiff and management-side employment attorney and partner, Sassoon Cymrot Law, argued that Vance is “no friend of organized labor or workers generally.”
For instance, she said that Vance opposed the Protecting the Right to Organize Act to remove labor law loopholes and expand workers’ rights to unionize.
“Vance stated that he favors sectorial (industry-wide) bargaining but, according to Politico, Vance said he was against empowering unions who are aggressively anti-Republican,” she added.
In addition, along with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Vance co-sponsored the Teamwork for Employees and Managers Act in January.
According to a statement, this would “give employees a voluntary opportunity to negotiate with employers on their own terms and without fear of legal action or bureaucratic meddling, a practice currently prohibited by existing labor laws.”
Sasson said that this proposed legislation would undermine unions by permitting voluntary organizations, which would not be subject to collective bargaining agreements and may be dissolved by employers.
“Vance also voted to approve a resolution to decimate the National Labor Relations Board’s joint-employer rule, which provides workers additional leverage to organize unions,” she said.
Individual Responsibility vs. Relying on Bargaining
Another potential impact is that in his book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance promotes the idea of individual responsibility and pulling oneself up by the bootstraps rather than relying on government assistance or collective bargaining through unions, said Michael Collins, CFA, founder, CEO, WinCap Financial.
“This mindset may make it more difficult for unions to recruit and retain members, as their message of solidarity and collective action may not resonate with workers who have bought into the idea that they should be solely responsible for their own success,” said Collins.
Collins added that based on his past statements and stances, it seems likely that he would not be supportive of unions and their goals.
“At the same time, Vance’s emphasis on promoting economic opportunities in struggling communities could possibly benefit some union workers if it leads to increased job growth and higher wages overall in these areas,” he added.
Editor’s note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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