InsideSources

President Donald Trump was praised by some of the top unions Monday for changing course on how the country approaches international trade.

Trump has had a highly contentious relationship with unions since he first launched his campaign. His opposition to the national trade agenda was one of the few policy areas they agreed on. Some labor unions applauded the president for his decision to withdraw support from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

“President Trump made good on his campaign promise to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa said. “With this decision, the president has taken the first step toward fixing 30 years of bad trade policies that have cost working Americans millions of good-paying jobs.”

Congress had delayed holding a final vote on the trade deal prompting some to believe it was already dead. It had drawn fierce criticism and became a main talking point during the campaign. Trump also plans to reopen negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into force in 1994.

“Today’s announcement that the U.S. is withdrawing from TPP and seeking a reopening of NAFTA is an important first step toward a trade policy that works for working people,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said. “While these are necessary actions, they aren’t enough. They are just the first in a series of necessary policy changes required to build a fair and just global economy.”

Trump built his campaign on the promise that he would help domestic workers. The president has argued the current approach to trade and immigration has allowed companies to undercut workers with cheap foreign labor. He pledged to withdraw or renegotiate from trade agreements so they better serve American workers.

“Millions of working men and women saw their jobs leave the country as free trade policies undermined our manufacturing industry,” Hoffa said. “We take this development as a positive sign that President Trump will continue to fulfill his campaign promises in regard to trade policy reform.”

The TPP would have been the largest regional trade deal in history with its inclusion of countries that produce roughly 39 percent of global GDP. Former President Barack Obama found himself at odds with many in his own party for negotiating the deal. Labor unions have contested the trade deal is designed to enrich corporations and other special interests at the expense of workers.

“We will continue our relentless campaign to create new trade and economic rules that end special privileges for foreign investors and Big Pharma, protect our planet’s precious natural resources and ensure fair pay, safe conditions and a voice in the workplace for all workers,” Trumka also said.

The deal was designed to unite the partner countries under a uniform set of trade rules. It would have gradually ended thousands of import tariffs and other international trade barriers. It would also establish rules for intellectual property rights, environment protections, and open Internet access.

The Obama White House had argued the trade deal would actually help workers despite what critics claim. It will cover a few countries known for notorious labor and human rights violations, like Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. The former administration also said it would help fix many problems NAFTA caused.

Labor unions have tried numerous methods to fight the trade deal. They have held rallies and launched several media campaigns. Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice was even the target of an attack ad in June 2015 for breaking with the rest of her party to support it.

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President-elect Donald Trump won considerable working class support but his incoming presidency poses a huge setback for unions.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won overwhelming support from the labor movement during the election. Labor unions campaigned for her and donated heavily to her campaign. Her loss likely means the rollback of regulations unions support and a further decline in their membership.

President Barack Obama argued numerous times during his time in office that unions were critical to protecting workers. His administration implemented numerous regulations to help bolster their membership. Trump has already signaled that he will scrap those regulations with critics contesting they actually helped unions at the expense of workers.

“They pushed for regulations that didn’t help workers,” Workforce Fairness Institute spokeswoman Heather Greenaway told InsideSources. “It did nothing to help their paychecks or help their work balances within their workplaces. All these regulations did over the last eight years was tilt the scale towards labor unions to unionize more.”

Labor unions over the decades have faced a declining membership rate. Their membership went from 20.1 percent in 1983 down to just 11.1 percent by 2015. The regulations sought to reverse the trend by changing workplace elections and allowing unions to organize workers in new ways.

“Most of the decline is due to a variety of causes, largely beyond the union’s control,” Peter Schaumber, a labor agency appointee under President George W. Bush, told InsideSources. “To stem their decline, unions decided on the political process and selected the Democratic party for their largess to get laws passed and regulations passed that make unionization easier.”

Greenaway notes there will likely always be a labor movement despite the decline. But she believes unions will never get back to where they once were. The union model doesn’t fit many modern workplaces, and the benefits they used to fight for are now provided by the government, she says.

The government mandates everything from workplace safety standards, employment benefits and a minimum wage. Federal law also encourages employers to provide health insurance. Many employees, at one time, had to rely on labor unions to help guarantee such employment rights.

“There are a lot of other programs out there that are there for workers that aren’t necessarily union,” Greenaway said. “I just don’t see what they can give workers that isn’t already provided by the government.”

The Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board became the driving force behind many of the new regulations. Union membership over the last eight years, however, continued to decline. Nevertheless, Trump could cause the decline to accelerate if he scraps those recent regulations.

“I think the Trump candidacy has accelerated the estrangement of workers from the union movement,” Schaumber said. “If he is successful and the unions continue their self-destructive focus on buying a seat at the Democrat table, we are likely to see union membership decline at an accelerated rate.”

Trump winning the presidency may also underscore a bigger problem facing the labor movement. Labor unions almost always side with the left when it comes to politics. Their membership, however, tends to be more diverse politically.

“These unions are doing things that are inconsistent with the views of their members and the Trump election is just proof of that,” Regent University Prof. Bruce Cameron told InsideSources. “He supports right-to-work laws, these unions obviously do not, and the members of these unions voted for Trump.”

Labor unions sometimes even go as far as to demonize those on the right. Labor unions throughout the campaign claimed Trump and other Republicans were trying to hurt workers. Nevertheless, Trump was even able to secure many working class districts that have previously gone left.

“Limiting their support for Democrat candidates and vilifying Republican ones, has estranged unions from a large percentage of their membership that vote Republican,” Schaumber said. “In addition, organized labor is controlled at the top by secular progressives who have pushed much of the union movement into support social causes, many workers disagree with.”

Schaumber points to abortion, same-sex marriage and transgender bathrooms as just a few of the social issues unions tend to be very progressive about. The political divide likely includes workplace issues as well such as right-to-work laws. The policy outlaws mandatory union dues or fees as a condition of employment.

“I think this represents a perennial problem for unions,” Cameron said. “Donald Trump endorses right-to-work and there are many unions members that support right-to-work and support more conservative politics.”

Labor unions began preparing for the incoming administration following the election. The AFL-CIO offered to work with the president-elect the day after his victory. The same union previously denounced him as a bigot who was going to hurt workers.

“The President-elect made promises in this campaign—on trade, on restoring manufacturing, on reviving our communities,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said at the time. “We will work to make many of those promises a reality.  If he is willing to work with us, consistent with our values, we are ready to work with him.”

Some labor unions are preparing for the incoming administration by curtailing spending. Bloomberg reported last month that the Service Employees International Union plans to cut its budget by 30 percent over the next year.

“I think that was a necessary measure, they have to save their money,” Greenaway said. “I think honestly it’s a budget decision, and its treading water for the next four years or eight years. It’s literally looking into the coffers and figuring out how they weather the storm.”

Greenaway adds that unions are likely to focus their attention on local campaigns until they can gain a foothold on the federal level again. The Fight for $15 movement, for instance, is one model that has helped unions achieve policy victories locally.

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A major national union called upon President Barack Obama Tuesday to pardon immigrants with minor criminal offenses so they don’t get deported.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) argued the pardon would help protect families and the economy. President-elect Donald Trump promised to prioritize those with criminal backgrounds in his deportation push. The union fears that will include legal immigrants who have minor infractions.

“Immigrants do the work that our families need and that drives our economy like caring for our children, the sick and the elderly and securing and cleaning our offices, hospitals, and airports,” SEIU Executive Vice President Rocio Saenz said in a statement. “Since the election, millions of immigrant families have been living in fear of deportation forces targeting them in their workplaces and tearing their families apart.”

Trump promised that he will immediately begin working to deport criminal aliens. There are an estimated two million convicted criminal aliens currently in the country. By definition, an alien includes any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States.

“By exercising the presidential pardon for immigrants who have committed minor infractions, President Obama can take action now to protect our economy and our communities from the divisive politics of Trump that threaten to profoundly impact all families,” Saenz said.

The SEIU admits that the pardon powers are limited and can’t be used to grant legal status to illegal immigrants. The union, however, argues it can be used to protect legal immigrants that have broken the law. It cites Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Jimmy Carter as former presidents who have pardoned broad groups of people.

The SEIU called for the president to pardon the criminal aliens as part of a larger coalition of advocacy groups. The coalition includes labor unions, immigrant rights groups, and community organizers. It also issued an open letter to the president earlier in the month.

Labor unions also have a lot to lose if the president-elect deports millions of legal immigrants. Service unions, especially, have many members that are legal immigrants. Unions also have a lot to gain by efforts to help illegal immigrants gain legal status since that would open the door to millions of potentially new members.

Union membership rates in 1983 were at 20.1 percent nationally, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was the first year comparable union data became available. The union membership rate, however, dropped to just 11.1 percent by 2014.

President Obama signed a 2014 executive order which granted legal status to millions of illegal immigrants. Labor unions praised the decision as both good for families and the economy. National unions were also quick to capitalize on the millions of newly legal immigrants.

The AFL-CIO launched a national campaign aimed at reaching, mobilizing and organizing immigrant workers. It was started in response to the executive order. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled June 23 that the president overstepped his authority with the executive order.

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Republican Donald Trump’s victory Tuesday night might mean right-to-work was saved nationally from being overturned by the courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court has remained split since the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13. Labor unions have prepared lawsuits that could overturn right-to-work nationally if another progressive was added to the court. Trump has promised to appoint a constitutionally conservative justice, meaning the law will likely survive legal challenges.

“If the Supreme Court leaned left then there is a chance that a circuit split, which likely happens in one of the cases between Wisconsin, West Virginia and Idaho may have allowed the unions to overturn right-to-work across the country,” Mackinac Center Labor Policy Director F. Vincent Vernuccio told InsideSources.

Democrats and labor unions generally disagree with right-to-work laws. The policy outlaws mandatory union dues or fees as a condition of employment. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton didn’t reveal exactly who she wanted to appoint to the court, but it would have likely been a more progressive nominee.

“President Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland usually sided very heavily with unions,” Vernuccio said. “If you do have an activist court, they may be able to push the envelope.”

Garland will not have the chance to fill the empty seat as Republican leadership in the Senate made a gamble to block his nomination and hope the next president would appoint someone more conservative. That bet now seems to have paid off with Trump’s win. Vernuccio notes that unions were likely banking on getting a more activist justice. Unions could appeal their lower court losses in the hopes of eventually making it to the highest court.

“That was the whole reason the unions were bringing the cases in the circuits that they were bringing the cases in,” Vernuccio said. “They wanted a split.”

Wisconsin, West Virginia and Idaho all had union challenges to their stateside right-to-work laws. Federal law has allowed states to decide whether or not to enact the policy for several decades. The law has been upheld over that time, but a Supreme Court loss could set a precedent that would doom it nationally.

“The Idaho case may have been their best chance because that would eventually go to the ninth circuit,” Vernuccio said. “If the ninth circuit ruled for the unions in Idaho, then yes, that would have created a circuit split that may have been a question that the Supreme Court wanted to review, and if it was a left leaning court, possibly could have decided to overturn right-to-work.”

The AFL-CIO is the largest coalition of labor unions in the country at roughly 12.5 million members. The union and its state-based affiliates have been at the forefront of the stateside lawsuits challenging right-to-work. The law, however, has been able to withstand numerous lawsuits and ballot measures since Florida first enacted it in 1944.

There are currently 26 states that have decided to enact right-to-work. West Virginia became the most recent state to enact the law this past year. Those opposed argue it allows workers to free-ride off the benefits unions offer, while opponents contest it’s about freedom of association and giving people the right to choose.

The AFL-CIO and its local affiliates did not respond to a request for comment by InsideSources.

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Labor unions have played a critical advocacy role in the 2016 election, and they’re readying to lobby the next president on key policies right out of the gate.

A major focus for labor in the next administration will continue to be workplace laws and regulations. Unions have successfully fought for changes that impact nearly every workplace in the country. President Barack Obama and his administration have helped bring about many of the policy reforms in recent years that unions have had on their agendas.

Nevertheless, unions are still fighting for several key policies that have yet to be achieved. The next president could determine where labor regulations and the economy go from here. Labor unions hope the next president will focus on the minimum wage, healthcare, immigration and trade, among other important policies.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has been much more willing to cater her platform to what unions want, perhaps in an effort to prevent labor from supporting primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders. Republican nominee Donald Trump has argued for decreased government intervention in how businesses operate except when it comes to keeping jobs in the country.

In the general election, few unions have backed Trump, with most supporting the Democratic nominee, as they traditionally have. The election Tuesday will have a significant impact on labor policy in the years ahead.

 

Fighting For a $15 Minimum Wage

Labor unions have been a driving force behind the movement to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Fight for $15 movement has been primarily backed by labor groups like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The movement has seen victories on the local level but has not yet been able to increase the national minimum wage which has sat at $7.25 an hour since 2009.

“I’m very proud of the Fight for $15,” Unite Here Vice President María Elena Durazo told InsideSources. “I think it shows that people across this country see that as a very crucial issue. To have an impact on the economy the way that we should, to circulate money in our economy, the best way is for workers to get higher wages.”

Labor unions and other advocates have argued an increased minimum wage can help to address poverty. Low-wage workers would be able to afford more which could benefit the general economy. Those opposed, however, warn it will decrease employment opportunities because of the increased cost of labor.

 

Getting People Back to Work

The economy lost over 8 million jobs during the recession almost a decade ago, and many workers still find themselves in jobs below their experience level. The AFL-CIO argues policies should be put in place to get people jobs with decent wages. The union says the government should promote better job opportunities by investing more into education, increasing the minimum wage, and by making unions stronger.

The unemployment rate has declined markedly to 4.9 percent, but job market indicators elsewhere have not been as good. The labor force participation rate, which tracks those employed or actively seeking work, has failed to reach the level it was before the recession. The employment rate, in contrast, doesn’t track those who have suffered long-term joblessness.

 

Improving Healthcare Beyond Obamacare

President Barack Obama made healthcare a cornerstone of his administration with the Affordable Care Act. Labor unions were slow to embrace his healthcare overhaul but did eventually become some of its strongest advocates. Nevertheless, unions still believe there is more that must be done to improve healthcare.

“We want affordable healthcare, we want affordable medicine,” Durazo said. “That is a very top priority, I would say, not just for our union, because of the demographics in our industry, but I think it’s a priority overall for everyone is the labor movement.”

The Affordable Care Act requires that Americans purchase health insurance, with the goal of spreading the risk among both the healthy and sick. In so doing, private insurance companies cannot discriminate against people with preexisting conditions, and they must follow a wide array of other regulations.

The law has forced more people to get covered by health insurance, with many receiving tax subsidies to help pay for insurance. Nevertheless, the cost of health insurance has increased drastically since the law was first enacted. Labor unions hope the next president will focus on making sure healthcare cost are more affordable.

 

Stronger Collective Bargaining

Labor unions are primarily responsible for negotiating with employers on behalf of workers. Collective bargaining has been their main tool to effectively do just that. It allows unions to negotiate contracts on behalf of all employees within a workplace based solely on a majority vote.

“The right of workers to collectively negotiate decent wages and working conditions, I think has to be a part of our future administration,” Durazo said.

Durazo adds the current president has done a lot to improve collective bargaining by making it easier for workers to vote in a union. She points to a new rule which shortens the length of time in which a labor union certification election is held from a median of 38 days to as little as 11 days. She hopes the next president will continue those reforms so that it’s easier to join a union and harder for employers to ignore them.

 

Fundamental Immigration Reform

Labor unions have been strong advocates for immigration reform. They have pushed for a system that makes it easier for immigrants to legally enter the country. Durazo states the next president must tackle immigration in a fundamental way.

“I would say immigration is a top priority across the labor movement,” Durazo said. “I mean rigorous immigration reform, not a little bit around the edges but deep reform, and we’re on the same page with employers, with business. It’s probably the most diverse united front of any national issue that I know of.”

Those like the AFL-CIO have argued that all workers can benefit from a system that allows for easier immigration that includes a pathway to citizenship. The union notes that some employers have been able to take advantage of illegal immigrants because they are not protected under the law.

“Our broken immigration system exposes immigrant workers to exploitation,” the AFL-CIO states on its website. “When a segment of our society suffers, we all suffer. The labor movement is committed to reforming our country’s broken immigration system.”

Trump has been most at odds with the labor movement on immigration. He has called for deporting illegal immigrants, building a wall on the border with Mexico, and blocking immigrants coming from countries known for Islamic extremism.

 

Stopping the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has faced adament opposition from unions who claim it would be harmful to workers. It’s also one of the few policies on which the labor movement agrees with Trump. Clinton was originally in support of the trade deal but walked back that position during the Democratic primary.

President Barack Obama found himself at odds with many within his own party for negotiating the deal. It’s designed to open up trade among partner countries. Labor unions have contested that the trade deal is nothing more than a giveaway to corporations at the expense of working families.

The trade deal is designed to gradually end thousands of import tariffs and other international trade barriers. It would also establish uniform rules for intellectual property, environment protections and open Internet access. The trade deal is likely to have a significant impact on international trade at roughly 39 percent of global GDP.

The White House has argued the trade deal will actually help workers despite what unions claim. It will cover a few countries known for notorious labor violations. Communist Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei are among the partner countries cited for labor and human rights violations.

The SEIU and other unions, along with Trump, have compared the deal to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). They claim NAFTA resulted in many American jobs being lost. The president has previously insisted TPP could help fix many of the problems NAFTA caused.

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The AFL-CIO has had deep connections to a network of organizations now embroiled in an alleged scandal involving violent election practices.

The AFL-CIO is one of the many union clients of the political consulting firm Democracy Partners. The consulting firm was cited in hidden camera footage Monday for allegedly sending people to instigate violence at rallies for Republican nominee Donald Trump. One strategist in the video notes unions are helpful in executing the scheme.

“A lot of people especially our union guys, a lot of our union guys, they’ll do whatever you want,” Democratic political strategist Scott Foval said in the footage. “When I need to get something done in Arkansas, the first guy I call is the head of the AFL-CIO down there.”

Project Veritas, a right-leaning activist journalism organization, released the footage following an undercover investigation into the groups. Democratic strategists appear to admit in the video to sending people to the rallies to cause trouble. They are trained to incite violence or make Trump supporters look bad for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

“The campaign pays DNC, DNC pays Democracy Partners, Democracy Partners pays the Foval Group, the Foval Group goes and executes the shit,” Foval also stated. “Democracy Partners is the tip of the spear on that stuff.”

Democracy Partners leadership consists of many former union officials. Democracy Partners President Mike Lux previously worked for the Iowa AFL-CIO in the early 1990s. Its philanthropy director Ken Grossinger did legislative field operations for the union over the course of a decade.

Democracy Partners former treasurer and co-founder Carla Ohringer Engle left her position in 2014 to work for the AFL-CIO. Additionally, several political strategists within the group have either worked for the union or helped represent them in some way.

The AFL-CIO is not the only union that works with Democracy Partners. Close to two dozen labor groups are listed as being clients of the consulting firm. Grossinger also worked for the Service Employees International Union. Nevertheless, the AFL-CIO appears to have the strongest connections to Democracy Partners.

Project Veritas is headed by conservative political activist James O’Keefe. Its use of undercover reporters is nothing new. O’Keefe used almost the same tactics to uncover a scandal that led to the shutting down of the defunct progressive advocacy group ACORN. But in the past, O’Keefe’s tactics and conclusions drawn from his videos have faced criticism.

The AFL-CIO is the largest coalition of labor unions in the country at roughly 12.5 million members. The union has used its vast political reach to mobilize grassroots and national opposition against Trump. It has also officially endorsed Clinton, as have many other unions.

The DNC, AFL-CIO, Democracy Partners and the Clinton campaign did not respond to requests for comment by InsideSources.

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AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called Republican nominee Donald Trump the most racist presidential candidate ever Monday in an appeal to Latino voters.

Trump has made immigration a cornerstone of his presidential campaign. His promise to be tough on illegal immigrants and border security has gained him many supporters and critics. Trumka argued in an opinion piece that the policies show the nominee is racist and xenophobic and that Latinos are key to defeating him.

“There is a lot at stake at this election for all working people across America,” Trumka wrote for the Spanish-Language news service Univision. “But Latino families have the most to lose if Donald Trump gets elected. They also have the power to stop the most xenophobic and racist presidential candidate that our nation has ever seen.”

Trump has focused on immigration throughout his campaign. He has promised to enforce border security and has proposed travel restrictions for regions known for Islamic extremism. He has also promised to deport immigrants already here illegally.

Trump has been accused by critics of being racist against people with Latino backgrounds. He has focused on Mexico in his pitch for better border security. Roughly half of all illegal immigrants come from Mexico, according to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center.

“From the beginning Trump has based his campaign on attacking Latino working families,” Trumka said. “He wants to separate hardworking immigrant families by deporting our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. His most prominent campaign promise is to build a wall that will further separate and alienate Latino immigrant families.”

The AFL-CIO is the largest coalition of labor unions in the country at roughly 12.5 million members. The union has already used its vast political influence to convince voters Trump would be dangerous for workers. Its Latino-targeted campaign comes as the Republican nominee lags by 50 points among Latino voters, according to a recent poll.

“Trump is a double threat to hardworking Latino families, not only because of his inhumane and senseless immigration proposals,” Trumka said. “Trump has clearly stated that he does not support raising wages, even as thousands of Latino families in the nation would benefit greatly from a pay increase.”

The AFL-CIO has also issued personal attacks against Trump in an attempt to undermine his character. The union declared him its loser of the week several times throughout the election. Trumka also accused Trump of trying to divide immigrant families Jan. 4.

The AFL-CIO has joined other groups to campaign against Trump. The union joined forces May 12 with other unions and environmentalist Tom Steyer to launch the For Our Future PAC. The political fund has focused on the grassroots level to garner support through community organizing.

The AFL-CIO is not alone, as many other unions relentlessly attack the business mogul. The United Auto Workers (UAW) has organized demonstrations against the presidential hopeful during his rallies and speeches. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) accused him of attempting to incite racial division.

Trump has been able to win over some within the labor movement. The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) made its first-ever presidential endorsement March 30 in favor of the outspoken candidate. A modest list of other unions has also endorsed him.

The Donald Trump hotel in Washington D.C. was surrounded Thursday by union protesters as a result of a labor dispute happening across the country.

Washington D.C. labor unions protested the hotel as a sign of solidarity with Las Vegas workers. Unite Here has fought to unionize the Trump hotel in Las Vegas but management has resisted. Hotel management has ignored a successful representation vote and calls by federal officials to recognize the union and its local chapters.

“I’m here to support my brothers and sisters in Las Vegas,” Unite Here Member Joshua Armstead told InsideSources from the protest. “So long as they’re willing to stand up against Trump, I’m also going to stand up against Trump.”

Armstead notes several labor unions all came to show support for the Las Vegas workers. The Metro Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), among others all joined the protest.

“We’re out here for the hotel workers in Las Vegas that need a contract from Donald Trump,” APWU member Arrion Brown told InsideSources. “Actually, last year we were out in Las Vegas protesting with them. It’s been about a year now, and they still haven’t gotten a contract from them.”

Hotel management has refused to recognize the union despite a successful vote December 2015. The hotel has also faced pressure for the federal government to recognize the union. Unite Here has already held several large rallies in Las Vegas while unions elsewhere have shown their support, as well.

“I would say the theme of today is solidarity,” Armstead said. “The simple fact of the matter is Trump is not only bad for Unite Here, he’s bad for every other working person in this country. Every time you here something about Trump, it’s a disaster.”

Trump is currently running as the Republican nominee for president. The Las Vegas dispute has added fuel to unions already opposed to his campaign. The AFL-CIO declared Trump its loser of the week Feb. 22 over the Las Vegas labor dispute and again Feb. 29 for saying he likes right-to-work.

“This event would have happened with or without the presidential election,” Armstead said. “A lot of people for better or worse don’t like Trump. I don’t like Trump. But it’s good to have more people come into the fold and know about these issues.”

Hotel management has also been accused of illegally trying to stop the unionizing campaign. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has even filed multiple complaints against the hotel that include allegations of physical assault, verbal abuse, intimidation and threats to silence union supporters.

“Trump refuses to negotiate,” CWA member Rick Ehrmann told InsideSources. “His company is trying to overturn the election that has already been certified by the labor union. It’s typical Trump.”

Unite Here has also accused the hotel of unjustly suspending five employees in 2014 and restricting the right of workers to show union support in 2015. The NLRB region director ruled the election was valid and management must recognize the union.

“I’m optimistic we’ll see victory,” Armstead said. “I don’t know how soon, I don’t know about when or a date. I know we’ll see victory. Unite Here’s motto is that when we actually do direct action and we shut it down, we get the goods. If enough of this happens, if enough boycotts happen, I believe they’ll get the message.”

Hotel management has fought the unionization campaign and challenged the vote on the grounds the unions misled workers. The hotel filed a lawsuit October 2015 alleging the two locals knowingly lied in a flyer about Trump staying at an unionized hotel.

Hotel management did not respond to a request for comment by InsideSources.

Nevada Republican Rep. Joe Heck was linked to presidential nominee Donald Trump by a major union Friday to discredit him among Latino voters.

Heck has been campaigning to win the Senate seat of retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid in the upcoming November election. He leads in most recent polls but has struggled with Latino voters. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched a million dollar Spanish-language media campaign linking Heck to his party’s presidential nominee.

“Just as Nevadans are learning how Donald Trump and Joe Heck think alike on immigration and other issues, it’s time voters know where Joe Heck and Donald Trump really stand on education,” SEIU Executive Vice President Rocio Sáenz said in a statement. “Latino voters have the power to stop Trump and Heck.”

The SEIU launched the campaign with a television spot targeted at Latino voters. The commercial primarily focused on education policy while reminding voters that the two Republicans also share similar views on immigration. Trump has made strict immigration policies a cornerstone of his campaign.

“On education, Joe Heck and Donald Trump have a dangerous agenda,” the television spot stated. “Joe Heck and Trump share a dangerous agenda for Nevada.”

Heck has struggled to earn support among Latino voters. A Latino Decisions poll found only 13 percent of Latinos were certain they would vote for him. The same poll found his Democratic rival Catherine Cortez Masto at 45 percent.

Trump has made immigration a cornerstone of his campaign. He has called for tougher border policies and a temporary ban on Muslims coming from regions known for terrorism. His proposed ban came after a series Islamic-terrorist attacks in Paris last November.

The SEIU developed the media campaign with the advocacy group iAmerica Action. The seat is going to be incredibly important as Republicans fight to take over the seat amidst an otherwise uphill national map.

The SEIU is not alone with many other unions relentlessly attacking Trump. The AFL-CIO has worked to use its vast political influence to convince working families not to support him. The union has mobilized members and supporters on the grassroots level throughout the election.

Trump has been able to win over some support within the labor movement. The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) made its first-ever presidential endorsement March 30 in favor of the outspoken candidate. A modest list of other unions has also endorsed him.

Heck has held a congressional district in the state since 2011. Nevada voters will have the chance to decide between the Senate hopefuls Nov. 8 when regular voting begins.

The Trump and Heck campaigns did not respond to requests for comment by InsideSources.