Union Leaders Alert Voters to Potential Impacts of Trump’s Project 2025
WASHINGTON—Claude Cummings, President of the Communications Workers, and James Curbeam, Chairman of the Teamsters Black Caucus, have issued a warning to African-American voters and the general public regarding Donald Trump’s Project 2025 platform. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is backed by the radical right Heritage Foundation, which is known for its controversial stances against workers, women, LGBT individuals, and people of color.
The significance of these warnings is underscored by Curbeam’s assertion that organized labor sets crucial standards for wages and benefits in the U.S. Democratic President Joe Biden has echoed this sentiment, stating, “where unions are strong, America is strong.”
According to Cummings, the Project 2025 platform could significantly hinder workers’ ability to organize and advance in their professions. During an October 20 session sponsored by the Working Families Party and MoveOn.org, he emphasized that the platform would make unionization more challenging and enable management to create “fake unions.”
Anti-union Employers’ Advantage
Cummings pointed out that anti-union employers could benefit from Project 2025, which would allow them to engage in practices like spying on or firing workers attempting to unionize. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, highlighting the importance of maintaining strong labor rights.
Curbeam, representing the Teamsters Black Caucus, noted the critical role of organized labor in setting standards for working people across the nation. His caucus, along with several Teamsters councils and locals, has backed Harris in the race against Trump.
Project 2025 brings additional concerns, including proposals for a nationwide abortion ban and the deportation of millions of undocumented individuals, potentially tearing families apart. Climate change threats were also discussed during the session.
Greisa Martinez-Rosas of United We Dream highlighted Trump’s previous comments about acting as a dictator to deport millions, stating, “Donald Trump would appoint himself Emperor for the sole purpose of deporting nine million people.”
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has become a contentious issue, with Trump attempting to distance himself from it. However, labor groups and their allies continue to scrutinize its implications.
Should Trump win the presidency, Project 2025 proposes actions such as abolishing government employee unions, limiting worker rights, and enacting a national “right to work” law. Curbeam criticized this as a “right to steal” statute, emphasizing the detrimental effects on workers.
Trump’s plan includes imposing steep tariffs on imports, which he claims would spur domestic manufacturing. However, analysts warn that these costs would likely be passed on to workers and families.
Cummings also expressed concern over Trump’s potential actions against the National Labor Relations Board’s General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, predicting a shift towards a “professional union-buster” in her place.
Impact on Workers
Cummings and Curbeam highlighted the negative effects of Project 2025 on workers, noting proposals to encourage child labor and the elimination of overtime pay, replacing it with comp time at employers’ discretion.
Beyond labor issues, the Working Families Party-MoveOn session also addressed potential consequences of Trump’s plans on abortion access, immigration, and climate change. Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo spoke against Trump’s immigration policies, which he claimed would cost $315 billion while benefiting the wealthy through tax breaks.
Rahna Epting of MoveOn praised Biden and Harris for their climate change initiatives, contrasting them with Trump’s intentions to reverse progress and withdraw from international agreements.
Drucilla Tigner from Planned Parenthood of Texas discussed the severe impact of abortion bans on women, particularly in Texas, where restrictive laws have led to thousands of births resulting from rape.
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
