Republican candidates often praise former President Ronald Reagan for his ability to win the support of union workers. However, few of these candidates ever attempt to emulate Reagan’s approach to such workers. Once a Democrat himself and president of a union, the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan knew what to say and, more importantly, what not to say.
Months before the 1980 campaign, Reagan authorized the publication of a labor pamphlet that listed issues of importance to unions. On the issue of “right to work,” Reagan promised he would oppose a national right-to-work law, but that he opposed the repeal of section 14B of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.
During the 1980 campaign, I accompanied Reagan on a seven-state tour of labor strongholds on the East Coast and in the Midwest, where we distributed the labor pamphlet. The pamphlet created a bond between Reagan and the unions. His slogan was, “Elect a former Union President, President.”
For many decades following Reagan’s election, I advised Republican candidates on outreach to union voters. Many of these candidates did not believe unions would ever support a Republican candidate over a Democrat opponent. To such doubters I always say, “If you believe you will win or lose by a landslide, I cannot help you. But in a close election, the labor vote can provide the margin of victory.”
During his presidential campaign, President Trump followed Reagan’s path deep into the heart of union country, gathering a winning majority. Like Reagan, Trump is a former Democrat. Like Reagan and Rockefeller before him, Trump respects the craftsmen who design and construct his hotels, buildings, and resorts. Also like Reagan, Trump knows the lexicon of union workers. Never does he say that he would support repealing any of the laws that protect the working-class or union voters.
During the special election in Pennsylvania earlier this month, Trump campaigned for the Republican candidate, Rick Saccone, seeking to elect someone who would support his legislative agenda. A few days before the election, Saccone was asked a question about right-to-work laws. He should have followed Reagan’s example and just said, “No.” Or, he should have followed Trump’s mantra — “jobs, jobs, jobs” — period. Instead, flanked by union supporters, he embarrassed them by trying (not very successfully) to explain how right-to-work laws are not a hindrance to unions willing to compete.
In a blue-collar, union-dominated state like Pennsylvania, the mere mention of the words “right to work” is suicide. It has the same impact as an ethnic or racial slur. As an adviser to Republican candidates seeking union votes, I have seen excellent candidates avoid visiting major manufacturing facilities because they did not want to offend right-to-work supporters in their party. They missed the opportunity for outreach at facilities employing tens of thousands of union members who share their values and might well have voted for them. Republicans must learn a two-fold lesson: First, to talk to union workers; second, to speak to them in their language.
Saccone lost by the kind of narrow margin I described above. What’s interesting is that the nation’s political pundits and talking heads never detected the real reason for his loss. They attributed it to a superior Democrat candidate (who, incidentally, pledged to work with Trump if elected) and declared it a defeat for the president. Neither of which is really true.
To be clear, the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania ran like a Republican, pledging to support the Trump agenda, while the Republican candidate raised fears of a deep-seated anti-union bias. Trump wasn’t defeated here — with his involvement, Trump probably only increased the number of votes for the Republican, just not quite by enough.
Like Trump, Republican candidates must get back to reaching out to union members and always remember their main message: jobs and opportunity.
Michael P. Balzano is the executive director of the National Industrial Base Workforce Coalition and served as labor chairman for the presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
