- President Donald Trump believes his tariffs will bring back more factory jobs—but absent a robust union movement, those jobs could likely end up paying cut-rate wages and injuring workers at high rates, as factory jobs in the South today often do, says labor historian Eric Blanc. He argues a mass unionization campaign in factories, retail stores, and other workplaces is called for, especially as Trump moves to undo union protections with other policies.
President Donald Trump announced his tariffs with a promise they would bring back the factory jobs that once made America “great,” complete with a Rose Garden ceremony where a retired United Auto Workers (UAW) union member spoke fondly of a plant he was sure would reopen.
