Trump Claims He’s Pro-Worker. But His Labor Board Is Trying to Destroy Worker Organizing.
Donald Trump tries to portray himself as pro-worker. Nowhere is this absurdity better exposed than in the decisions of his National Labor Relations Board, which have over and over again favored bosses rather than workers.

President Donald Trump addresses a crowd at the Fayetteville Regional Airport on September 19, 2020 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Melissa (Sue Gerrits / Getty Images)
In his State of the Union address earlier this year, President Donald Trump declared that “our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker.” Despite his populist posturing, any sober assessment of Trump’s first term will show that it has been an all-out assault on labor.
Trump has ruthlessly attacked federal workers, granted more tax cuts for the rich, and severely weakened the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and he is now undermining Social Security. Campaign promises such as a massive infrastructure project, minimum-wage hike, and an overhaul of the health care system have barely even been attempted.
The National Labor Relations Board’s actions are the most striking example of his anti-worker agenda. Trump has appointed four Republicans to the board, none of whom have any experience actually representing workers or unions. Instead, all of these board members previously held careers defending corporate interests. At the head of the board is the general counsel, whom workers depend on to actually prosecute cases. Trump’s pick for general counsel was Peter Robb, a former management lawyer.