Powerful Labor Group Joins A.F.L.-C.I.O. Ahead of New Trump Era
After almost twenty years since parting ways, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced on Wednesday that they are reaffiliating with the AFL-CIO, joining a group of over 50 unions. While acknowledging that this was in the best interest of its members as we approach what will likely be a less union-friendly federal government under Donald Trump, the leaders of the SEIU and AFL-CIO state that the joining is unrelated to the results of the presidential election. Also recognizing however that the strength of the AFL-CIO will help the union as they face potential concerns under President Trump, including the possibility of mass deportations, cuts to Medicaid, and attacks on protections for federal employees.
While typically democratic leaning in the past, this election exposed a separation in the labor movement. While unions spent more than $40 million on Harris’s presidential campaign, Trump was able to turn union members with promises like removing taxes on tips, and imposing tariffs. This proved successful when the president on the International Brotherhood of Teamsters spoke at the Republican National Convention, with the Teamsters declining to endorse a candidate. The leaders of the SEIU and AFL-CIO stated that while Trump’s narrative was compelling, they found it to be “performative, without real policy benefits.”
See "Powerful Labor Group Joins A.F.L.-C.I.O. Ahead of New Trump Era", Noam Scheiber and Lisa Lerer, New York Times, January 10, 2025