When ICE and other agencies began arresting and deporting immigrants this past January under Donald Trump’s orders, unions stepped up. They called for the release of detained workers, offered legal aid and know-your-rights workshops, accompanied workers to check-ins and marched in public solidarity.
In doing so, unionists rejected the scapegoating that’s long fueled authoritarianism. They didn’t buy claims that immigrants were driving up housing prices or threatening safety. Yes, some unionists voted for Trump in 2024—but the majority did not. Their resistance shows why unions are key in opposing authoritarianism now and rebuilding democracy later.
When Trump is gone, institutions must still confront the inequality that weakens democracy. More than 800 American billionaires possess $6.22 trillion, while millions struggle with rent, food and care costs. Nearly 771,500 people were reported as unhoused in one night last year, and more than 47 million live in food-insecure households.
More than 85 million eligible voters sat out the last presidential election, many feeling their votes wouldn’t matter. In the mid-1950s, one in three American workers belonged to a union—corresponding with greater economic equality. Unions directly represent working people, improving wages, conditions and job security.
They also foster democratic participation, informing members and cultivating leadership. It’s possible Trump might never have reached the White House if union strength remained what it once was.
But union power has declined due to corporate union-busting and hostile legislation. Trump escalated this by terminating federal collective bargaining and firing thousands of federal workers.
As his anti-democratic agenda intensifies, scholars and activists call for a broad coalition—courts, media, academia, nonprofits, faith groups and unions—to resist. But such a coalition must understand the economic foundations of democracy and unions’ unique role.
Union members may comprise just 9.9% of the workforce, but they’ve won major victories for auto workers, teachers and more. Supporting them means backing labor-rights legislation like the PRO Act and stepping beyond institutional silos.
If we’re willing to leave our comfort zones and face the future clearly, we just might reimagine what American democracy can become.
Andrew Moss writes about politics, labor and nonviolence.
