Lack of support

Labor leader hits Trump over lack of support for working class

By AUBREE ELIZA WEAVER

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka came down hard on President Donald Trump on Sunday morning over what Trumka called a lack of progress in supporting America’s working class.

“We said when [Trump] was elected that when he did something good for workers, we’d support him. When he did something bad for workers, we’d oppose him,” Trumka said on “Fox News Sunday.” At this point in his presidency, Trump has not done enough for America’s workers, Trumka said.

When host Christopher Wallace commented that unemployment is down to 3.9 percent and employment numbers have held steady, Trumka argued that while those numbers are positive, Trump is still falling short.

“Those are good, but wages have been down since the first of the year, and gas prices have been up since the first of the year,” Trumka said. “So workers really aren’t doing that well.”

In terms of the upcoming midterm elections and even the 2020 presidential election, Trumka said, “It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about electing candidates who will protect the working people of this country.”

However, he added that workers are ultimately more likely to see progress from Democrats because “unfortunately, the reality is Democrats support working people more than Republicans.”

Speaking the day before Labor Day, Trumka also commented on the current status of the North American Free Trade Agreement and how far the U.S. is from reaching a new deal that includes the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“NAFTA has had a devastating effect on the working people of this country for the last 20 years,” he said. “We’re trying to reach a deal that benefits all three countries, and we’re not there yet.”

There’s currently a lot of missing information about NAFTA talks, he added, saying the public hasn't “seen the details” and is “missing whole chapters.”

“What we need is an agreement that we can enforce, no matter who’s in the White House.”