What American workers can expect from President Trump’s second term

From skyscrapers to factories, American workplaces are a little friendlier under President Joe Biden. But with Donald Trump in the White House, that situation appears to be about to reverse.

The new president has positioned himself as more populist than past Republican administrations, and in some cases has made early appointments sympathetic to workers’ rights. But his anti-union rhetoric and tough campaign promises suggest his approach favors employers over rank-and-file employees.

Eric Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s business school, said Trump probably won’t be “vociferously anti-union,” but “he’ll strike more in a ‘shut up’ tone.” . . And please stop complaining too much. ”It also works in business. “Many employers feel that the pendulum has swung so far that they can hardly ask employees to work without some kind of rights violation.”

Does President Trump have an agenda on labor and employment?

President Trump’s political platform promises to restore American jobs.

90%A higher percentage of Democrats surveyed in a 2023 survey by the Public Consultation Program wanted to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, compared to 41% of Republican voters.

He talks about the need to restore the role of manufacturing, “save America’s auto industry” and eliminate taxes on tips earned by restaurant and hospitality workers. It says American workers will benefit from cutting regulations, “rebalancing trade” and reducing illegal immigration.

But Jason Kosnosky, a political science professor at the University of Michigan-Flint, said Trump “isn’t driven by ideology for the most part; it’s all emotion.” That leaves his policies susceptible to the “virulently anti-labor leaders like Elon Musk” who surround him. “If I had to bet, I would say that people with Trump’s ears are more anti-labor than Trump’s pro-populist, slightly pro-worker leanings.”

How does Elon Musk fit into this?

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has emerged as an influential voice in the White House. He donated more than $250 million to the Trump campaign and co-leads the Department of Government Efficiency, a nongovernmental advisory group that aims to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget.

He has publicly opposed worker-friendly policies such as flexible working, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and the right to form trade unions. Last year, he posted “DEI must DIE” on X, accusing it of discrimination. He eliminated remote work at his company and criticized federal employees for working from home.

In a conversation on the X show in August, Musk and Trump said employers should be allowed to fire striking workers, with United Auto Workers president Sean Fein calling Trump He encouraged her to call him “Scab.” Workers at Musk’s car company, Tesla, filed a labor complaint claiming they were fired the day after they announced a union campaign.

Labor advocates fear Mr. Trump will use his bullish pulpit in the White House and Mr. Musk’s proximity to encourage employers to oppose unions, racial diversity policies and remote work. I am doing it. “That big sigh of unhappiness, I do it a lot these days,” said Judy Conti, director of government relations at the National Employment Law Project.

But Harold Daggett, president of the International Longshoremen’s Association, last week said the union had agreed to favorable deals with port operators and shipping companies to avert a strike that business leaders had warned would disrupt the U.S. economy. Trump was credited with helping the two sides reach an agreement.

Daggett said the president-elect “demonstrated unwavering support” for the longshoremen union last month by calling port managers and posting on Truth Social on their behalf.

What about other plans?

One mechanism by which the new administration will weaken workers’ power is through changes to the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that protects workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively.

The agency is already facing challenges from Mr. Musk’s company SpaceX and several other companies. After the NLRB accused SpaceX of illegally firing employees last year, the company filed a lawsuit challenging the process in an attempt to neutralize the board.

Mr. Conti said President Trump’s greatest influence may come through appointments. Democrats are expected to lose their majority on the board, making them more likely to rule in favor of employers and less aggressive about strengthening worker protections. President Trump is likely to replace Jennifer Abruzzo, Biden’s NLRB general counsel, with someone less committed to protecting workers’ rights to organize.

“When you change the board, you get a new GC.” Bob Bruno, a labor professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said it would reduce protections for workers and increase the cost and risk of unionizing. .

Could Trump incite a backlash against workplace DEI policies?

U.S. companies have embraced DEI initiatives, such as anti-bias training and efforts to hire minority staff, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. But recently, in the face of conservative opposition, some have pushed back by cutting staff and funding.

$67 millionGovernment funding for DEI and minority health care staff — 0.003% of the $2 trillion cut Musk called for

Hostility toward DEI in the Oval Office means companies that feel their efforts are “going too far” may feel empowered to scale back their efforts, Gordon said. “They will feel safer doing so now.”

DEI departments within government may also be targeted. In November, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of Mr. Musk’s Efficiency Commission, criticized the Department of Health and Human Services for hiring staff dedicated to DEI and minority health, saying staffing costs needed to be cut. He said it was “bloated”.

While Ramaswamy’s role is merely advisory, Y-Vonne Hutchinson, CEO of workplace culture consultancy Readyset, said the administration is “trying to ban[DEI policies]to the extent possible” in the federal government. He said he hopes to do so. For example, it could dismantle DEI offices or prohibit federal contractors from providing training.

Conti added that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws, may also shift its focus to so-called “reverse discrimination” against white men over other minorities and protected groups. .

So why did Trump’s pick for labor secretary confuse supporters of both employers and workers?

In November, President Trump nominated Oregon Republican Rep. Lori Chavez Delemer to head the U.S. Department of Labor, which enforces laws related to wages and working conditions. She has spoken out in support of workers’ right to collective bargaining, and voted in favor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a bill that would make it easier for workers to unionize, but the bill lacked Republican support. It was rejected by the Senate.

She said her mission is to support President Trump’s “great effort to remake the Republican Party into the party of American workers.” But her pro-union stance has worried employer advocates. Mark Mix, chairman of the National Labor Rights Council, which campaigns for legislation that would allow workers to receive union-negotiated benefits without paying dues, wrote in a November letter that Trump There should be no place for her in the government.”

How will the threat of increased deportations affect the workforce?

President Trump has laid out plans to deport millions of undocumented workers, and incoming “border czar” Tom Homan told Fox News in November that workplace raids “have to happen.” he said.

But employers warn that the crackdown could have dire consequences for the U.S. economy. The Center for Immigration Research estimates that there will be approximately 11.7 million illegal aliens in the United States by 2023. Farmers and restaurant owners, whose workers are mostly undocumented immigrants, have warned that deportations will create massive labor shortages that will leave their businesses unable to function.

What about non-compete agreements?

Approximately 30 million workers in the United States are subject to noncompete agreements that limit their ability to seek and accept better jobs. The Federal Trade Commission banned the arrangement last April, but a federal court in Texas reversed the ban in August.

President Trump’s FTC will seek to reinstate the ban and may appeal the decision. Conti said the non-competition is discouraging pro-labor advocates, liberals and populist Republicans, adding: “Usually where there are queer bedfellows, there can be some progress.”

But Abraham “Avi” Skov, co-chair of the employment practice at law firm Moses Singer, said he expects the Trump administration will choose not to appeal.

“Republicans support the view that the federal government is overreaching and should be cut,” he said. “My expectation is that appointments by the Trump administration will reflect that view.”