Pro‑Labor Conservatism Aids Union Clout

Updated: 2025.10.05 16D ago 3 sources
Republicans courting the Teamsters are advancing policies—$15 minimum wage, preserving Biden prevailing‑wage rules, and contractor reclassification—that grow compulsory dues and regulatory leverage more than worker autonomy or productivity. Union anti‑automation campaigns further risk job losses by delaying adaptation. — It reframes right‑populist labor overtures as a potential power transfer to unions with downstream electoral and productivity costs.

Sources

Drew Holden: Why Is Organized Labor So Catholic?
Drew Holden 2025.10.05 78% relevant
The Teamsters’ Washington event co‑branded with the Catholic Church and attended by conservative lawmakers (e.g., Josh Hawley) exemplifies the GOP–union rapprochement described in this idea, signaling unions’ growing leverage as conservatives court them on AI and worker security.
‘Freeze the Rent’? Not So Fast
2025.08.25 80% relevant
It argues Republicans courting the Teamsters will end up enriching union coffers and regulatory leverage; cites Trump’s selection of Lori Chavez‑DeRemer (favored by Teamsters’ Sean O’Brien) and Teamsters donations to GOP candidates as signs the pairing shifts power to unions, not workers.
A GOP-Teamsters Alliance Makes No Sense
Ken Girardin 2025.08.22 100% relevant
Trump’s Teamster‑backed Labor Secretary kept Biden’s wage regs; Teamsters push the PRO Act and anti‑automation while donating to select Republicans.
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