“I am a union man” said Joe Biden on the campaign trail before he was chosen as Democratic presidential candidate. He poured out empathy for the working class while campaigning, targeting labor unions and the white working class voters who won Donald Trump the presidency in 2016. To flip key states for the election, Biden had to convince these voters that he better represented them than the sitting president.
White working-class voters make up approximately forty percent of the US electorate, yet, only ten percent of the US workforce is unionized. What’s more, most of these individuals are employed within the public sector, and minorities are more likely to be members than white workers. The majority of members live in Democratic strongholds, such as New York and California, but many Rust-Belt states have unionization rates above ten percent. It is in these states where union members are likely part of Trump’s 2016 “base” of working-class whites.
There are a number of issues of great importance to labor representatives, but at this moment Coronavirus is the greatest threat to the U.S. economy.
In fact, union members did turn out for Trump in 2016. According to Reuters, half of the members in North America's Building Trades Coalition voted for Trump in 2016, and according to Politico, Trump continued to have the support of many union members as of September this year. But the leadership of most major unions endorsed Biden in the weeks approaching the election, with the common reason being that he has been the most pro-labor Democratic presidential candidate in recent decades and has clear plans to work with unions during his presidency. Despite this support, some were wary of Biden’s pledged allyship to labor and blue-collar workers, warning of unfulfilled promises and of the continued disregard for labor priorities in sitting administrations. One could also point to some of Biden’s past choices, such as his signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, which had detrimental effects on American industry and its blue collar workers.
Despite these reservations and the division amongst rank-and-file union members, Biden eked out victories in many Rust-Belt states. These marginal, yet crucial, wins were partly due to Democratic support from white college and non-college graduates in small gains over 2016. Notably, this slightly heightened support comes after months of targeted campaigning from Biden, as referenced above. Biden’s pro-labor rhetoric and targeted campaigning appear to have been just effective enough to win him the presidency.
As the President-elect begins to name members of his cabinet, labor leaders have high hopes for their cause. There are a number of issues of great importance to labor representatives, such as workplace safety and union protections, but at this moment Coronavirus is the greatest threat to the U.S. economy. So far, union leaders have been included in talks about nation-wide Coronavirus safety measures and economic plans, signalling that Biden may be as pro-labor in practice as he is in speech. However, it remains to be seen how President-elect Joe Biden works with unions on their objectives during his presidency.
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