AFL-CIO's Trumka To Meet With Trump (Again).

AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka has been invited to attend a meeting with business leaders to discuss job growth.

With a focus on how to grow manufacturing jobs, the message from the White House seems clear that President Trump appears to be giving union leaders a ‘seat at the table’…literally.

President Donald Trump plans to hold a series of meetings organized by Dow Chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris with business leaders “to share their experiences and gain their insights,” according to the White House.

“President Trump plans to continually seek information and perspectives from a diverse range of business leaders … on how best to promote job growth and get Americans back to work again,” the administration said in a statement Friday.

In addition to Liveris, the initial meetings are expected to include Whirlpool Chairman and CEO Jeff Fettig; Ford CEO and President Mark Fields; Tesla Motors Inc. CEO Elon Musk; and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and AFL-CIO Deputy Chief of Staff Thea Lee, among others.

Previously, after the election, Trumka visited then President-elect Trump in New York.

If Trump can put together a solid infrastructure bill ― and if he doesn’t go along with the many Republicans who want to gut prevailing wage laws ― he could turn out to be a decent deal for the building trades unions and their members. That, in turn, could further splinter the wider labor community if other unions feel under attack. Andy Stern, the former head of the Service Employees International Union, said such a split could hamper the Democratic Party’s appeal among working-class voters.

Ironically, in 2005, Andy Stern led the break-away coalition of seven major unions that withdrew from the AFL-CIO over political and strategic differences.
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