As the nation’s largest labor unions prepare for President-elect Donald Trump, some are curtailing spending and admitting many goals and objectives are threatened by the incoming administration.
The powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is planning to cut its budget by 30 percent in Trump’s first year, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg Businessweek.
SEIU President Mary Kay Henry characterized Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress as the “far right,” saying that, “Because the far right will control all three branches of the federal government, we [The SEIU] will face serious threats to the ability of working people to join together in unions.”
The SEIU, which represents almost two million service workers and has an annual budget of $300 million, has helped lead the “Fight for $15” movement across the nation.
“As we prepare to fight-back against the forthcoming attacks on working people and our communities under an extremist-run government, we know we must realign our resources and streamline our investments to buttress and broaden our movement to restore economic and democratic opportunity for all families,” the internal memo said. (RELATED: The Fight For Fifteen Is Coming To America’s Airports)
The Fight for $15 movement is preparing for what may be an uphill battle. Trump plans to nominate vocal President Barack Obama critic Andrew Puzder to lead the Department of Labor. (RELATED: Trump To Name Fight For Fifteen Critic For Labor Secretary)
Big labor has been in an awkward position during the fall campaign, and even post-election. While admitting that Trump tapped into the insecurities and anger of working class Americans, most union bosses supported Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the fall campaign.
Despite being a vocal opponent of Trump, the AFL-CIO wrote that Trump’s election was “an expression of the insecurity of working people all over the formerly industrialized world, brought on by globalization forcing them to compete for work in a labor market without borders.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to the SEIU. It did not reply by press time.
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