Over the past decade, thanks to President Donald Trump, America's political map has shifted dramatically. Millions of working men and women have joined the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, drawn by its focus on everyday economic survival — lower costs, secure borders and tax relief.
President Trump has helped position Republicans as the party of the working class with big wins in the Rust Belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in both 2016 and 2024, but that vital political coalition for the GOP is also fragile and could eventually fracture without proper attention given to the growing rift between union bosses and union members.
A new report from Americans for Limited Government, "Union Bosses vs. MAGA," reveals union bosses have become one of the biggest financial forces opposing the very agenda their own members support.
This is a betrayal of the American worker. While the rank and file often back the president — 58 percent of Teamsters surveyed by the union in 2024 supported Trump — their leaders are still spending mandatory union dues to attack the policies their own members voted for.
The primary driver of this disconnect is how union leaders utilize their members' funds. Nearly 90 percent of union political contributions in the 2023–24 election cycle went to Democrats, according to Open Secrets. That's not bipartisanship — it's a one-way transfer of funds to sustain the party that opposes the policies many working people favor.
Instead of fighting for better contracts, union leaders have turned these contributions into political war chests. Groups like the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, and IAM pledged to mobilize more than 6 million voters to defeat the President in 2024; meanwhile, unions funded at least 45 lawsuits targeting his administration after he won. What once were membership organizations focused on wages and benefits have long since become political operations protecting entrenched interests.
Funds were even used to support officials who led legal cases against the president. The Teamsters and other unions gave more than $100,000 to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the high-profile civil suit against him. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg received more than $240,000 from unions, including the United Federation of Teachers and 1199 SEIU.
Members who work long hours and pay mandatory dues don't want their money bankrolling elite prosecutors waging political battles. It's hard to argue that this spending represents the priorities of workers.
The divide between members and leadership also manifests in policy outcomes that impact workers' wallets.
Under the president's energy policies, gas prices have already dropped more than 50 cents a gallon compared to the summer of 2024, saving American families an estimated $80 billion. Yet, union leaders claimed those policies would raise costs, prioritizing partisan talking points over tangible benefits for working households.
The story repeats on taxes. Union officials dismissed the One Big Beautiful Bill's broad tax relief that benefited lower- and middle-income workers as "giveaways to corporations." But data showed real after-tax income gains for millions of families.
Immigration policy is another flashpoint. Strong border enforcement protects wages and job stability, especially for blue-collar workers. Yet, many modern union leaders have opposed enforcement measures or even organized protests against them. The administration has reported that under tighter border controls, job gains went entirely to American workers, including 2.7 million more native-born Americans with jobs and foreigners with 822,000 fewer jobs, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Still, union leadership chose ideological alignment over protecting their members' paychecks.
The evidence is clear: Union bosses have abandoned their mission to represent the working class that President Trump has championed. Instead, they act as political operatives, diverting dues meant for workplace advocacy into campaigns, lawsuits and partisan alliances.
Working Americans deserve better. They deserve to know where their money goes and whether it serves their interests — and right now it's not. Every dollar of mandatory dues should advance workers' economic well-being, not bankroll political vendettas.
For too long, union leaders have spoken in the name of the working class while fighting against the president's America First policies that absolutely improve workers' lives. It's time for union transparency and for the rank-and-file who elected Trump to demand that their unions start working for them again.
Robert Romano is the Executive Director of Americans for Limited Government.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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