A major national union declared Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump its loser of the week for the second time in a row after saying he likes right-to-work laws.
The AFL-CIO has been one of the more vocal unions to oppose Trump during the election thus far. It declared him its loser of the week Feb. 22 over a labor dispute his Las Vegas hotel is having and again Feb. 29 for saying he likes right-to-work. Trump announced his support for the policy during an interview Feb. 17 with South Carolina Radio Network.
“I can live with unions in certain locations,” Trump said during the interview. “But there are certain areas of the country where you only have unions. You don’t have a right-to-work state. I like the right to work, but the union people, people in unions, they seem to really want to vote for me. It’s been amazing.”
The policy outlaws mandatory union dues or fees as a condition of employment. Federal law allows states to decide whether to implement right-to-work. At the moment, 26 states have enacted the policy — West Virginia and Wisconsin were the latest states, despite traditionally being union-strongholds.
Trump’s Las Vegas hotel labor dispute, which won him the initial loser of the week title, involves hotel management, the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and the Bartenders Union Local 165. Hotel workers voted to unionize Dec. 7, but the hotel refused to recognize the vote.
Trump International Hotel Las Vegas filed an objection Dec. 15 against the election. The National Labor Relations Board suggested hotel management drop its rejection after a hearing earlier in the month. The unions have since put pressure on the hotel to negotiate, but hotel management has stood its ground.
Local 226 has accused the hotel of unfair suspension of five employees in 2014 and restricting the right of workers. Feds also filed a complaint that includes allegations of physical assault, verbal abuse, intimidation and threats. The unions are affiliates of Unite Here, which represents service workers internationally and also has a particular interest in Trump and his business empire.
The business mogul made his fortune in real estate and the hotel industry, which employs many different types of service workers. Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto voted last last year to join the union as well.
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