Highlights:
VIDEO: Trump Said He Would Prefer Without Unions. According to an Iowa town hall via YouTube, “HOST: He just asked, quite simply, do you support unions? Unions were a big part of Maytag's history. TRUMP: So I've had it both ways. I've had unions and I've had non-unions. In New York City, everything's union. I mean 100%. You can't build a building without using 100% union. I've had great relationships with the unions. I've had no problems. And I've had great success there. You know, it's Manhattan. And you could build a building and you build it for X dollars a foot. And you sell it for more. So I've had a very, very good relationship with unions. And on the other hand, I've done much, perhaps as much without the unions. You go down to Florida where you don't have unions, for the most part. You don't have unions and I've had great success there. So I've done it both ways. I've been able to live very successfully with unions, which a lot of people haven't been, I'll be honest. A lot of people have not been. But I've been able to live very successfully with unions. And, if I had my choice, I think I'd take it without. OK. I really think I'd take it without.” [Iowa Town Hall via YouTube, 11/19/15]
Unionization Efforts Were Opposed At Trump’s Las Vegas Hotel. According to the New York Times, “Not all employees at Mr. Trump’s hotels and golf courses are unionized. Workers at the hotel that Mr. Trump co-owns in Las Vegas with the casino mogul Phillip Ruffin began a unionization drive in 2014. The owners pushed back against the effort, but ultimately signed a contract with the union the month after the 2016 election. In 2018, workers at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., told a reporter for The New York Times that many employees there were undocumented immigrants; one worker said a manager had directed her to someone to help her obtain fraudulent records.” [New York Times, 9/27/23]
Trump On Working With Unions: “If I Had My Choice, I Think I’d Take It Without.” According to the New York Times, “Does he support unions? He has had ‘great success’ in New York building with unions and also in Florida without unions. ‘If I had my choice,’ he said, ‘I think I’d take it without.’” [New York Times, 11/19/15]
VIDEO: Trump Bragged About How He “Fought The Unions” To Build The Trump World Tower. According to Trump University via YouTube, “TRUMP: The fact is, that if you take like the Trump World Tower opposite the United Nations that was recently completed, it’s a great building. It’s the tallest residential building in the world. I built it. I fought on it. I fought the unions.” [Trump University via YouTube, 5/16/16]
2015: About 500 Workers At Trump International Hotel In Las Vegas Rallied Against Trump For The Right To Unionize With Culinary Workers Union Local 226. According to the Nation, “Their boss is famous for firing people with merciless gusto. So you can imagine it took just as much chutzpah for the workers at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas to rally today and demand the right to unionize and to gain respect on the job. While the Donald seeks election to a new post, roughly 500 workers at the hotel are focusing on a very different vote: They’ve been pushing to form a union for months, and are trying to snatch a bit of Trump’s campaign spotlight this summer to call on him ‘Make America Great Again’ right on his home turf. As a recent ad for the unionization campaign proclaims: ‘We think that working for Mr. Trump in Las Vegas is a chance to make our lives better…but only if he pays us the same wages and benefits as everyone else working on the Strip.’ Of course, what do they expect from the man who’s built a brand for himself as a ferocious corporate overlord? His attitude on the campaign trail is as ruthless as his management style, laced with racial invective and almost self-caricaturing jingoism. (Not to mention hypocrisy—just ask the many low-wage immigrant laborers he has exploited over the years). But amid the buffoonery, the local hospitality union, Culinary Workers Union Local 226, is pressing serious charges of labor violations and denouncing his operations as a bastion of union busting in an otherwise union town.” [Nation, 8/21/15]
The Nation: “About 86 Percent Of Workers In The Planned Bargaining Unit Have Signed ‘Union Yes’ Cards.” According to the Nation,“About 86 percent of workers in the planned bargaining unit have signed ‘Union Yes’ cards. UNITE HERE is seeking neutrality from the employer and a straight card-check majority vote for unionization, rather than plodding through the NLRB ballot process.” [Nation, 8/21/15]
The Nation: “According To The Union, The Management Has Run A Stealth Campaign To Persuade Hotel Staff That Organizing Is Not In Their Best Interest.” According to the Nation,“Nonetheless, according to the union, the management has run a stealth campaign to persuade hotel staff that organizing is not in their best interest.” [Nation, 8/21/15]
The Nation: “Workers Charged The Managers With Blocking Organizers From Distributing Pro-Union Literature In The Workers’ Dining Room, While Stealthily Allowing Anti-Union Activists To Campaign During Work Hours.” According to the Nation, “The workers charged the managers with blocking organizers from distributing pro-union literature in the workers’ dining room, while stealthily allowing anti-union activists to campaign during work hours.” [Nation, 8/21/15]
The Nation: “According To NLRB Charges Filed By The Union, Five Hotel Workers Were ‘Unfairly Suspended For Exercising Their Legal Right To Wear A Union Button And Organize Their Coworkers’ Last Year.’” According to the Nation,“According to NLRB charges filed by the union, five hotel workers were ‘unfairly suspended for exercising their legal right to wear a union button and organize their coworkers’ last year (they were eventually reinstated with back pay, along with an agreement to post workers rights publicly and not interfere with future organizing).” [Nation, 8/21/15]
The Nation: “The Union Filed New Charges Alleging The Management ‘Violated The Federally Protected Rights Of Workers To Participate In Union Activities’ Including ‘Incidents Of Alleged Physical Assault, Verbal Abuse, Intimidation, And Threats By Management.’” According to the Nation,“Last June, the union filed new charges alleging the management ‘violated the federally protected rights of workers to participate in union activities’ including ‘incidents of alleged physical assault, verbal abuse, intimidation, and threats by management.’” [Nation, 8/21/15]
December 2016: Trump’s Hotel Company And The Unions Reached An Agreement For New Benefits For Workers At His Las Vegas Hotel. According to the Washington Post, “Donald Trump’s hotel company and two of the country’s leading labor unions reached agreement Wednesday on deals that will offer new benefits to hundreds of workers at his Las Vegas hotel and pave the way for workers at his D.C. hotel to unionize. The Vegas agreement resolves a high-profile battle at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, where Trump, as co-owner, refused to recognize a vote to organize last year by housekeepers, maids, porters, cooks and other members of the UNITE HERE Culinary Workers Union and the Bartenders Union.” [Washington Post, 12/21/16]
1991: Sports Arena and Casino Employees Union Local 137 Filed Charges With The NLRB Against Trump Castle Casino. According to the Press of Atlantic City, “A union trying to organize casino workers filed unfair labor practice charges against Trump Castle Casino Resort here Thursday. Henry Desch, vice president of Local 137 of the Sports Arena and Casino Employees Union, said the charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board stemmed from efforts by the Castle to restrict the union’s contact with workers there.” [Press Of Atlantic City, 7/12/91]
Local 137 Alleged That Trump Castle Casino Prevented The Distribution Of Union Information To Employees During Free Time. According to the Press of Atlantic City, “A union trying to organize casino workers filed unfair labor practice charges against Trump Castle Casino Resort here Thursday. Henry Desch, vice president of Local 137 of the Sports Arena and Casino Employees Union, said the charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board stemmed from efforts by the Castle to restrict the union’s contact with workers there. ‘The charges state that Trump Castle has prevented the distribution of information and literature to its employees during their free time and while they are going to and from work,’ the union said in a statement issued late Thursday.” [Press Of Atlantic City, 7/12/91]
Trump Castle Allegedly Ordered Union Workers Off Casino Property While They Tried To Distribute Literature And Talk With Employees Near The Casino’s Employee Entrance. According to the Press of Atlantic City, “While the union’s press release did not spell out the specifics behind the complaint, union workers reportedly were ordered off of Trump Castle property as they were trying to distribute literature and talk with employees near the gaming hall’s employee entrance.” [Press Of Atlantic City, 7/12/91]
Trump Castle President On Unionization Efforts: “We Are Going To Do Everything We Can To Keep Third-Party Outsiders Out Of Here.” According to the Press of Atlantic City, “Castle President Roger Wagner said the casino ‘can defend itself against any charges that have been brought against us.’ He insisted that officials have not and will not violate the law but will aggressively fight the union’s organizing efforts. ‘I don’t believe that the employees need a third-party outsider to talk for them,’ he said. ‘And we are going to do everything we can to keep third-party outsiders out of here.’” [Press Of Atlantic City, 7/12/91]
1991: The NLRB Charged Trump Castle With Unfairly Preventing Union Organizers From Contacting Employees After The Trump Castle Ordered Union Organizers Away From Employee Parking Lot Entrance. According to the Press of Atlantic City, “The National Labor Relations Board has charged Trump Castle Casino Resort with unfairly preventing union organizers from contacting employees there. Local 137 of the Sports Arena Employees Union filed a complaint against the casino in July after three incidents in which union organizers were ordered away from the employee parking lot and from the employee entrance to the casino hotel.” [Press Of Atlantic City, 8/24/91]
NLRB: Trump Castle “Interfered With, Restrained And Coerced ... Employees In The Exercise Of Rights’ Guaranteed By Federal Labor Laws.” According to the Press of Atlantic City, “Local 137 of the Sports Arena Employees Union filed a complaint against the casino [Trump Castle] in July after three incidents in which union organizers were ordered away from the employee parking lot and from the employee entrance to the casino hotel. After reviewing the complaint, the NLRB charged the casino had ‘interfered with, restrained and coerced ... employees in the exercise of rights’ guaranteed by federal labor laws.” [Press Of Atlantic City, 8/24/91]
1980: Trump Hired Kaszycki and Sons Contractors Inc. To Raze The Bonwit Teller Building For $775,000. According to The New York Times, “The demolition project on Fifth Avenue and 56th Street lasted from January to June 1980. It cleared the way for an ornate 68-story glass-sheathed structure containing shops and an atrium on the lower floors and 263 condominium apartments above that originally sold for $500,000 to $10 million each. (...) According to court records and testimony, the Trump-Equitable joint venture [for Trump Tower] hired Kaszycki and Sons Contractors Inc. at a fee of $775,000 to raze Bonwit Teller’s 10-story flagship department store although the contractor had little demolition experience.” [New York Times, 6/14/98]
Kaszycki Used Hundreds Of Undocumented Polish Laborers. According to Never Enough: Donald Trump And The Pursuit Of Success, “Kaszycki had based his rock-bottom bid for the job on the revenue he could generate from scrap sales and his planned use of hundreds of undocumented Polish laborers who would be overseen by roughly two dozen skilled men from the House Wreckers Union Local 95. (The union local was controlled by organized-crime boss Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante. In 1984, two Local 95 officers would be convicted of racketeering and extortion.) The Polish Brigade, as the men were called, began dismantling the Bonwit Building even before Kaszycki received a demolition permit. Laboring without the usual precautions such as hard hats, they ripped out walls and flooring until all that was left was steel, concrete, and stone.” [Michael D’Antonio: Never Enough: Donald Trump And The Pursuit Of Success, September 2015]
The Trump Tower Crew Had 200 Undocumented Workers. According to the New York Times, “Donald J. Trump took the witness stand yesterday to deny seven-year-old charges that he knowingly used 200 undocumented workers to demolish the old Bonwit Teller building to make way for Trump Tower, the glittering centerpiece of his real-estate empire. Testifying in a case that has survived years of legal challenges, Mr. Trump said he did not know the workers were undocumented and that the demolition in the summer of 1980 was delegated to a contractor, Kaszycki & Sons Contractors, which did all the hiring.” [New York Times, 7/13/90]
Workers’ Pay Fell Far Below The Union Rate And Complaints Were Answered With Threats Of Deportation. According to Never Enough: Donald Trump And The Pursuit Of Success, “The men of the brigade labored seven days per week, and as many as eighteen hours a day, to meet the boss’s schedule. When not working, they rested in overcrowded housing supplied by Kaszycki, or on the floors of the Bonwit building itself. Their pay, which fell far below the union rate, was issued sporadically. Sometimes they were offered vodka instead of money. Complaints were answered with threats of deportation. When the city was hit by a transit strike, many of the men walked everyday from Brooklyn to Midtown Manhattan just to get to their jobs. Those who quit were replaced immediately by one of the dozens of Polish men who appeared at the job site every day looking for work.” [Michael D’Antonio: Never Enough: Donald Trump And The Pursuit Of Success, September 2015]
The Workers Worked 12-Hour Shifts Without Gloves, Hard Hats, Or Masks. According to the New York Times, “In 1980, under pressure to begin construction on what would become his signature project, Donald J. Trump employed a crew of 200 undocumented Polish workers who worked in 12-hour shifts, without gloves, hard hats or masks, to demolish the Bonwit Teller building on Fifth Avenue, where the 58-story, golden-hued Trump Tower now stands.” [New York Times, 11/27/17]
Lawyers For Local 95 Asserted That Kaszycki Paid The Laborers $4 To $5 An Hour On 12-Hour Shifts Seven Days A Week. According to the New York Times, “Wendy E. Sloan and Lewis M. Steel, lawyers for current and retired Local 95 members in the suit, assert that William Kaszycki, owner of the contracting company, hired about 200 Polish immigrants who were not Local 95 members and agreed to pay them $4 to $5 an hour on 12-hour shifts seven days a week.” [New York Times, 6/14/98]
Members Of Housewreckers Local 95 Alleged That The Undocumented Workers Worked Around The Clock And Slept At The Work Site. According to the New York Times, “Testifying in a case that has survived years of legal challenges, Mr. Trump said he did not know the workers were undocumented and that the demolition in the summer of 1980 was delegated to a contractor, Kaszycki & Sons Contractors, which did all the hiring. The lawsuit, by some members of Housewreckers Local 95, charges that Mr. Trump, desperate to meet deadlines on a vast project whose intricate financing was partly dependent upon them, overlooked the use of undocumented Polish immigrants, who allegedly worked round-the-clock and even slept at the site.” [New York Times, 7/13/90]
A Foreman Testified That Trump Had Visited The Site And Remarked To The Foreman That “Those Polish Guys Are Good, Hard Workers.” According to the New York Times, “Mr. Trump would later testify that he never walked into the adjoining building or noticed the Polish workers. But a foreman on the job, Zbignew Goryn, testified that Mr. Trump visited the site, marveling to him about the Polish crew. ‘He liked the way the men were working on 57th Street,’ Mr. Goryn said. ‘He said, ‘Those Polish guys are good, hard workers.’” [New York Times, 11/27/17]
1998: Trump Settled Class Action Litigation Over The Demolition Of The Bonwit Teller Building. According to the New York Times, “In 1980, under pressure to begin construction on what would become his signature project, Donald J. Trump employed a crew of 200 undocumented Polish workers who worked in 12-hour shifts, without gloves, hard hats or masks, to demolish the Bonwit Teller building on Fifth Avenue, where the 58-story, golden-hued Trump Tower now stands. The workers were paid as little as $4 an hour for their dangerous labor, less than half the union wage, if they got paid at all. Their treatment led to years of litigation over Mr. Trump’s labor practices, and in 1998, despite frequent claims that he never settles lawsuits, Mr. Trump quietly reached an agreement to end a class-action suit over the Bonwit Teller demolition in which he was a defendant.” [New York Times, 11/27/17]
Trump Paid $1.375 Million To Settle The Case. According to the New York Times, “The documents show that Mr. Trump paid a total of $1.375 million to settle the case, known as Hardy v. Kaszycki, with $500,000 of it going to a union benefits fund and the rest to pay lawyers’ fees and expenses. According to the documents, one of the union lawyers involved asked the judge to ensure ‘prompt payment’ from Mr. Trump, suggesting ‘within two weeks after the settlement date.’” [New York Times, 11/27/17]
Trump Resigned From SAG-AFTRA. According to Reuters, “Former President Donald Trump on Thursday resigned his membership in the American actors union before it met to decide whether to expel the former TV reality star from its ranks. SAG-AFTRA, which represents some 160,000 actors, journalists and other media professionals, said last month its disciplinary committee would meet to decide on action regarding Trump's role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead. ‘Who cares!’ Trump wrote in a letter that the union released. ‘I no longer wish to be associated with your union.’” [Reuters, 2/4/21]
Trump Said The Union Had “Done Nothing For Me.” According to Reuters, “‘While I’m not familiar with your work, I’m very proud of my work,’ Trump wrote SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. ‘This letter is to inform you of my immediate resignation from SAG-AFTRA. You have done nothing for me,’ he added.” [Reuters, 2/4/21]