Trump attacks union leader on Labor Day
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump started his Labor Day with an attack on a top union leader, lashing out after criticism from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
Trump tweeted Monday that Trumka “represented his union poorly on television this weekend.” He added: “It is easy to see why unions are doing so poorly. A Dem!”
His attack came after Trumka appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where he said efforts to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement should include Canada. Trumka, whose organization is an umbrella group for most unions, said the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico are “integrated” and “it’s pretty hard to see how that would work without having Canada in the deal.”
Trump said Saturday on Twitter that there was “no political necessity” to keep Canada in NAFTA. But it’s questionable whether Trump can unilaterally exclude Canada from a deal to replace the three-nation NAFTA agreement without the approval of Congress.
Trump administration talks to keep Canada in the reimagined trade bloc resume this week as Washington and Ottawa try to break a deadlock over issues such as Canada’s dairy market and U.S. efforts to shield drug companies from generic competition. Trump wants a final deal by Dec. 1.
Asked about the low unemployment rate and economic growth, Trumka said “those are good, but wages have been down since the first of the year. Gas prices have been up since the first of the year. So, overall, workers aren’t doing as well.”