Union members aren't just voting on labor this year

Trump and Harris are vying for members of a resurgent labor movement. But with other big issues on the ballot, a single winning message may be elusive.

Francine Eason and Andrew Gangwer are both union members, and affordability is top of mind for each of them. But she’s voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and he’s backing former President Donald Trump.

Eason works as a housekeeper at a hotel in Philadelphia, where she has belonged to UNITE HERE Local 274 for five years. Gangwer is a Teamster of 10 years in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, who works as an operations specialist at Anheuser-Busch.

“When they talk about strengthening the economy through corporations, that’s who pays me every week,” Gangwer, a 50-year-old registered independent, said of Republicans’ pro-business messaging. “It gives me the opportunity to fight for a better contract next time, because we can say, ‘Hey, look at these record profits you’re making.’”

The idea that the working class is naturally united is mistaken.

Prof. Tobias Higbie, UCLA

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-harris-labor-union-voters-issues-rcna167652

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