U.S. Labor Unions Mobilize Nationwide to Counter Trump’s “Billionaire First” Agenda Ahead of 2026 Elections
Labor unions across the United States are organizing a major political and legal pushback against President Donald Trump’s so-called “Billionaire First” agenda, a move union leaders say could reshape the 2026 midterm elections.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler confirmed the effort in an interview with The Guardian, saying the nation’s largest labor federation is gearing up to support candidates and policies that defend worker rights and address affordability issues that many Americans are struggling with. The strategy puts unions at the center of national economic debates as the political calendar turns toward next year’s contests.
Shuler raised the stakes by accusing the Trump administration of launching “unrelenting attacks on working people,” including executive actions that stripped more than 1 million federal employees of collective bargaining rights. In response, labor organizations backed a bill in the House of Representatives that would restore those rights, and now say they are preparing to fight for its passage in the Senate.
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Unions aren’t stopping at legislation. They are mobilizing nationwide with canvassing, rallies, and organizing campaigns that focus on kitchen-table issues such as rising healthcare costs, housing affordability, and income inequality framing these as contrasts to Trump’s economic agenda.
“People are fed up… only one organization left that people do trust, and that’s the labor movement,” Shuler said, stressing that unions are building grassroots momentum.
The movement also intersects with ongoing labor actions across the economy, such as strikes by Starbucks workers seeking their first union contracts, which union leaders point to as emblematic of broader discontent.
Why this matters…
Labor leaders say their push could influence not just federal policy but electoral outcomes nationwide. With the Senate now in focus, the next weeks are expected to test union political power ahead of key votes.
What happens next could shift the balance in Washington as 2026 campaigns ramp up.
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Honestly, I am not clear on what Unions are fighting for? My question is CEO's salary really worth up thousand times more than lowest paid worker? Does their contribution to corporation bottom line really translate into a need for such a wide difference. Shouldn't tax policy penalize such behavior? You can compare Nordic companies or any other more reasonably paid executives and see that performance doesn't translate into improvements by overpaid executives. Certainly, there is no pushback by states that have these companies incorporate. We see race to the bottom of inequality index and masses are none the richer for it.
Honestly, I am not clear on what Unions are fighting for? My question is CEO's salary really worth up thousand times more than lowest paid worker? Does their contribution to corporation bottom line really translate into a need for such a wide difference. Shouldn't tax policy penalize such behavior? You can compare Nordic companies or any other more reasonably paid executives and see that performance doesn't translate into improvements by overpaid executives. Certainly, there is no pushback by states that have these companies incorporate. We see race to the bottom of inequality index and masses are none the richer for it.