Despite Republican inroads with working-class voters, major union leaders across the country continue their top-dollar spending almost exclusively backing Democrats in ways that are out of step with many of their more MAGA-minded members. 
A new <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1049015205/International-Brotherhood-of-Electrical-Workers-IBEW-AAF-MAGA-Membership-Union-Leadership-Misalignment-Report?_gl=1*kjoj68*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTAxNjcwOTU1Ni4xNzgxMDE2OTk4*_ga_Z4ZC50DED6*czE3ODEwMTY5OTckbzEkZzEkdDE3ODEwMTcwMDEkajU2JGwwJGgw*_ga_8KZ8BV0P5W*czE3ODEwMTY5OTckbzEkZzEkdDE3ODEwMTcwMDEkajU2JGwwJGgw">report</a> from the American Accountability Foundation obtained by The Daily Wire found that the majority of political committee spending from 2017 to 2024 by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers benefited Democrats. The watchdog organization found that the nation’s largest electrical worker union uses its funds for partisan spending, six-figure salaries, and golf outings. 
“While the broad support for the Trump-Vance agenda by industrial union members has been widely reported on, news of this nearly decade old re-alignment has apparently yet to reach the leadership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union whose dues-paying members repeatedly cast ballots for President Trump,” the report said. 
The report comes as some elected Republicans have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-latest-pro-union-move-has-some-conservatives-sounding-the-alarm?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=8&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republicans%E2%80%99+Latest+Pro-Union+Move+Has+Some+Conservatives+Sounding+The+Alarm">adopted</a> more pro-union rhetoric and positions. One pro-union bill set to soon get a vote in the House would allow either side in a labor dispute to bring in federal negotiators after 90 days, which is expected to be more advantageous to unions. 
The watchdog said that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents some 887,000 electricians, has “a love of partisan political activism and wasteful spending that is disconnected from the views and lifestyles of most of its rank and file members.”
Union President Kenneth Cooper has <a href="https://x.com/KennethWCooper2/status/1347124874163183620">called</a> Trump one of the “worst” presidents in American history and <a href="https://x.com/KennethWCooper2/status/1329750586196193281">accused</a> Trump of “killing America” over his claims of election fraud during the 2020 election. 
Examining the spending reports required for labor unions, the American Accountability Foundation found that the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers spent $222,000 on political spending between 2017 and 2024, giving to Democratic Party groups while none went to Republican groups during the same time frame. 
Spending on party committees follows a similar pattern. The report found that about 98% of the $11,188,454 given to party committees went to Democrat organizations. When looking at candidate contributions, roughly 87% went to Democratic candidates. 
“When the dollars are aggregated, the imbalance is not marginal,” the report found. “It is structural.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1112113" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-10.42.49-AM-2.png" alt="" width="1713" height="1184" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-10.42.49-AM-2.png 1713w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-10.42.49-AM-2-300x207.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-10.42.49-AM-2-833x576.png 833w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-10.42.49-AM-2-768x531.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-08-at-10.42.49-AM-2-1536x1062.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1713px) 100vw, 1713px" /></div>
On an individual level, high-level officials with the union also contribute their funds to Democrat candidates. Ricky Oakland, the chief of staff at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers national headquarters, <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Ricky+Oakland">gave</a> $155 to Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue earmarked for the Kamala Harris campaign in the closing months of the 2024 election. 
The spending disparity should come as no surprise when looking at the union’s endorsement track record. In 2024, IBEW <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9uwzrruBXc/">backed</a> then-Vice President Kamala Harris claiming that she has “listened to us, and we stand confident that she will continue this administration’s extraordinary pro-worker record.”
Throughout the campaign, the union <a href="https://x.com/IBEW/status/1851639011128869103">mobilized</a> for Harris and <a href="https://x.com/IBEW/status/1853798521972891659">issued</a> several calls to action leading up to and on Election Day for its members to vote for the Democratic ticket. Before the election, IBEW Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble joined the liberal panic about “Project 2025” and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_Lqk8rPwsB/">claimed</a> that electing Trump would be a “direct threat” to “progress” made by the union. 
After the election, the union has publicly attacked Trump&#8217;s economic policies on <a href="https://x.com/IBEW/status/1978105884950548654">energy,</a> including the administration&#8217;s pivot from so-called green energy sources.
At the same time, the union has continued to support Democrats. It announced that it was endorsing Democrat Sherrod Brown’s campaign against incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted of Ohio. The IBEW <a href="https://x.com/IBEW/status/1957408941027016936">described</a> Brown as “one of the closest friends Labor and the working families of Ohio have ever had.”
Charlyce Bozzello, communications director at the Center for Union Facts, said that a massive divide existed between union members and their leaders.
“The divide between the interests of rank-and-file workers and the agenda of union bosses has never been more apparent,” she told The Daily Wire. “Members deserve to know when their dues are funding bloated executive salaries and partisan political advocacy rather than advancing priorities that actually matter to workers.&#8221;
The American Accountability Foundation flagged other expenses it found through a review of spending records. 
“While IBEW funds should be invested in improving their members&#8217; lives and careers, they are instead wasted on unnecessary items and events,” the report found. “IBEW’s use of funds includes extravagant spending on swag, events, and a shocking amount [of] golf.”
A review of union spending records filed with the Department of Labor found over $1.5 million spent on golf-related expenses between 2017 and 2024 by the union and its offshoots. 
At the same time that the union spends big money on golf and other entertainment expenses, a major salary discrepancy exists between the average electrician represented by the union and those at the top of the union. 
While Cooper <a href="https://unionfacts.com/union/International_Brotherhood_of_Electrical_Workers/leadership/KENNETH/COOPER/">earned</a> a gross salary $1,135,609 in 2025, the average salary of a union electrician is $83,000. Union leadership salaries across the board come in higher as well — a review by the American Accountability Foundation found that 30% of the union’s national headquarters staff make more than $200,000, and 78% make over $100,000. 
Previous reports from the American Accountability Foundation exposed Left-wing bias at the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers.

Kamala Harris Campaigns Across Wisconsin In Final Days Of Campaign

Major Trade Union Exposed For Bias Against Republicans

Donald Trump

Kamala Harris

Labor Unions

A coalition of free market advocates urged lawmakers to reject a pro-union bill they warn would create a “dangerous” new power for federal bureaucrats that has the backing of some Republicans. 
The <a href="https://norcross.house.gov/_cache/files/f/9/f9d6776b-2d3a-472c-bcbe-c4040a8fd4b8/77C8E6BDE7FD695BC9C678680EB984933BBA6A66466177E02C69BA329B6A0C42.norcro-010-xml.pdf">bill</a>, known as the Faster Labor Contracts Act, would allow either side in a labor dispute to call in federal mediators if a contract agreement is not reached within 90 days. A House vote on the proposal is expected in the coming days, setting up a fight between some Republicans and free market advocates that oppose government intervention in the economy. 
More than two dozen organizations led by Advancing American Freedom demanded that GOP members of Congress vote against the proposal, saying that it would create a “dangerous new power” for the federal government to intervene in labor disputes, according to a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1045628652/AAF-FLCA-Coalition-Letter?_gl=1*1d3o3wo*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTI5NTkwMDEuMTc4MDMyOTk0NQ..*_ga_Z4ZC50DED6*czE3ODAzMjk5NDQkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODAzMjk5NDQkajYwJGwwJGgw*_ga_8KZ8BV0P5W*czE3ODAzMjk5NDQkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODAzMjk5NDQkajYwJGwwJGgw">letter</a> obtained by The Daily Wire.
“Even with the best of intentions, government arbitrators could never wield this abuse-prone power effectively,” the coalition wrote in the letter. “At a time when Congress and the White House are working to rein in the federal bureaucracy and reduce government overreach, this legislation would move in the opposite direction by inserting Washington directly into private workplace negotiations.”
The proposal moved to the floor after a majority of Democrats and several Republicans signed onto a discharge petition last month. 
Republicans in the House who signed on to a discharge petition included Mike Lawler (NY), Nick LaLota (NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA),  Don Bacon (NE), Max Miller (OH), Riley Moore (WV), and Rob Bresnahan (PA). Republican supporters of the proposal argue it is pro-worker and will help blue-collar workers get back to work quicker. 
The Daily Wire reached out to their offices for comment on their support for the proposal. 
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The bill has been pushed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who argue that it would prevent management from prolonging contract negotiations in an effort to wait out workers. 
“Delays in the processing of collective bargaining contracts primarily benefit employers opposed to representation by the labor organization,” the text of the proposal says. “The employers can use those delays to sap labor organization resolve and secure more favorable terms for the employer.”
In previous interviews, Fitzpatrick <a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_21eb5e24-3adf-4465-9d4f-c7871e550d2b.html">told</a> union members that it would be the “most imminent piece of legislation that’s going to have the biggest impact on you all.” He said last month that he believed it would pass in the House. 
“And then our job is to find a way to navigate the Senate on that,” he said. “But if that emerges out of the House, there&#8217;s going to be a lot of pressure for them to put that up for a vote, and it&#8217;s a two party bill, so I actually feel quite good. And in a town where it&#8217;s hard to get things done, I actually feel quite good about the prospects, and that&#8217;s going to be a huge win for the Teamsters.”
Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman said that the proposal would undermine the negotiation process by involving government bureaucrats. 
“The Faster Labor Contracts Act should be dead on arrival under a Republican trifecta, but labor union leadership and populist pundits are telling members that this legislation is ‘pro-worker&#8217;,” Chapman told The Daily Wire. “Conservatives shouldn’t be fooled. Putting workers’ jobs in jeopardy by subjecting their workplaces to terms written by uninformed federal ‘arbitrators’ is anti-worker.”
The letter was also signed by representatives from organizations like the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, Americans for Prosperity, the Eagle Forum, the Institute for the American Worker, the Goldwater Institute, and others. 
Akash Chougule, the President of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, told The Daily Wire that Republicans supporting the legislation are “making a catastrophic policy and political mistake.”
He said that the bill would cut workers out of the process and primarily benefit union leaders, not workers. 
Vinnie Vernuccio, the president of the Institute for the American Worker, also said that it would give “unprecedented power” to federal bureaucrats. He said that his organization was “proud to stand for union democracy by joining the larger coalition and sounding the alarm on this harmful legislation.”
The Senate version of the proposal was introduced by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and also supported by Republican Senators Roger Marshall (Kansas) and Bernie Moreno (Ohio) and 12 other Democrats. 
After the discharge petition advanced in the House, Hawley told The Daily Wire that the proposal would give workers more power against “woke corporations.” 
“We need real labor reform that puts workers first. For too long woke corporations have blocked workers’ rights while sending jobs to China,” he said. “I’m glad to see the House doing the right thing by American workers. Congress needs to pass my bill and get this done.”

NYU faculty on strike

Republicans’ Latest Pro-Union Move Has Some Conservatives Sounding The Alarm

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62. Munich Security Conference

Gavin Newsom’s $30 Billion Fraud Magnet

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MI x DW

When I was in college, I passed the César Chávez statue every day on my walk to class at the University of Texas. Now, César Chávez is the name of the road I take to work. 
For years, Chávez was presented as the figurehead for Mexican Americans, a symbol we were expected to revere. But he represented a collectivist ideology that perpetuated ethnic tribalism. After the New York Times broke the story of his sexual abuse of young girls, this false idol is finally toppling. My only hope is that he is not replaced by another.
Chávez has long been celebrated as a symbol of the Civil Rights era and as a champion of labor unions in America. He co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union to fight for better conditions for migrant laborers. But in truth, he exploited the very people he claimed to protect, while tying Mexican Americans to socialist ideology. He carefully crafted a public image as a family man devoted to Catholic social teaching, but the reality was much darker.
Chávez’s philosophy echoes Marxist rhetoric about the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. At a UFW convention in 1981, Chávez <a href="https://reason.com/2013/07/30/harvest-of-power/#:~:text=Some%20of%20these%20features%20include:%20*%20the,under%20the%20ALRA%20subject%20to%20ALRB%20regulations.">proclaimed:</a> 
<blockquote>I would not take one cup of coffee from a grower [farmer]… There&#8217;s not a good one. I hate them. A few presents, a little talk, then the noose. That’s how capitalism works.</blockquote>
It isn’t just his rhetoric that sounds alarm bells. Early in his career, he worked with Saul Alinsky (the community organizer who defined the modern leftist playbook in “Rules for Radicals”). Chávez and the UFW later implemented Alinsky’s tactics, fostering confrontational, divisive organizing.
Then, there is the recent revelation of his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-icon-accused-of-serially-sexually-abusing-young-girls?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=15&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Left-Wing+Icon+Accused+Of+Serially+Sexually+Abusing+Young+Girls">extensive sexual abuse</a> of minors. The behavior is not distinct from other far-Left figures. From Josef Stalin to Mao to Kim Jong-il, communist and socialist leaders often share a troubling connection to sexual predation. We should not be surprised that evil ideology attracts evil people.
If the warning signs around Chávez have existed for decades, why did he become the face of an entire ethnicity in America? Partly, because he was effective at mobilizing Mexican Americans in California, using rhetoric that created a lasting “us vs. them” mentality. But how did that ideology extend to Texas?
Chávez never belonged in Tejano heritage the same way he does in Chicano culture. The Chicano culture and movement are a direct outgrowth of the California Hispanic labor movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s. On the other hand, the Tejano culture traces back to the Mexican settlers of Texas prior to Texas Independence and is a component of what created the Texas identity. 
That history is also tied to farming and a cowboy ethos that is incompatible with Chávez’s ideology. Texas agriculture thrived because of ranchers like my ancestors, who embraced a free-market approach, not because of unions or collectivist movements.
Before the New York Times exposé, one could argue that Chávez fought for Mexican Americans and deserved gratitude. Yet his legacy has encouraged a troubling mindset: To be loyal to one’s Hispanic heritage, one must embrace left-wing ideology. On campus, I was often labeled a “race traitor” at conservative events, accused of “wanting white approval,” or dismissed as “too white-passing” to comment on border and immigration issues.
The type of tribalism promoted by Chávez is just like any other kind of identity politics, limiting and stereotyping the people it is intended to empower. In a political climate in which Texas Hispanics are considering Republicans on the ballot, it is clear why the Left is feeling threatened.
So why is a street in Austin named after César Chávez? Why did his statue watch me as I walked to class? The answer is clear: ethnic tokenism. It was fitting for Bill Clinton to award him a Presidential Medal of Freedom and for Joe Biden to display his bust in the Oval Office. Chávez represents the Hispanic worker the political Left wishes we all were: obedient to a union boss and beholden to collectivist ideology.
The UFW announced it will not be celebrating César Chávez Day this year amid the allegations. The idol all Hispanics were once expected to adore is finally falling from his pedestal. My hope is that we do not replace him with another.
* * *
Ariana Guajardo is the Video Production Manager at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She is the creator and host of &#8220;The Sweet Tea Series&#8221; and co-host of &#8220;The Hard Country,&#8221; where she and Joshua Treviño examine the history and modern tensions shaping U.S.–Mexico relations.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

United Farmer Workers Union Distances Itself From Founder Cesar Chavez After “Troubling Allegations”

The Left Hid César Chávez’s Rapes And Turned Him Into A Saint

The Left Hid César Chávez's Rapes And Turned Him Into A Saint

Civil Rights

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A shocking report from The New York Times revealed Wednesday that labor union “hero” Cesar Chavez allegedly sexually abused multiple young girls and women prior to his death in 1993.
Multiple women accused Chavez, who co-founded and led the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union, of assault, harassment, and rape dating back to 1960.
The previously unpublished allegations were corroborated by the Times investigation, which was based on more than 60 interviews with Chavez&#8217;s top aides, relatives, and former UFW members. Reporters also reviewed hundreds of pages of union records, confidential emails, photographs, and audio recordings of UFW board meetings.
Two women in the Times report, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, both now 66, say Chavez began sexually abusing them when they were 13 and 12 years old, respectively. Both women were children of farm workers represented by Chavez’s prominent union.
Rojas was groped by Chavez in his office when she was 12, and the abuse continued for years, culminating in what Rojas described as rape at a motel during a union march in 1975, when she was 15. According to the New York Times, Rojas&#8217;s account is corroborated by a handwritten letter she sent to Chavez at age 13 that exists in the Wayne State University archives.
In 1972, Murguia recalled Chavez calling her to his room at the age of 13, which she did enthusiastically, describing the union leader as her “hero” at the time.  Chavez locked the door, forced Murguia onto a yoga mat, and molested her.
Chavez told the girl, “Don’t tell anyone. They’d get jealous,” after kissing her. Murguia said she was raped “dozens” of times until 1977, and she had attempted suicide multiple times by the age of 15. “I wanted to die,” she said.
Several other women accused Chavez of sexual abuse, including his longtime confidant and fellow UFW co-founder, Dolores Huerta, who is now 95 years old. Huerta accused Chavez of raping her in 1966 in a vehicle and of an earlier coerced sexual encounter during a work trip in 1960. She says two children resulted from these encounters.
The Times investigation concluded that Chavez fathered at least four children with three women outside his marriage based on 23andMe test results.
Chavez has been an icon of the Left for decades, and in California, Cesar Chavez Day is a paid state holiday. Following the Times&#8217; report, prominent Democrats scrambled to condemn Chavez, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who previously said a photo of the union leader is &#8220;the first photo&#8221; he &#8220;wake[s] up to.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s been hard to absorb this, Jenn and I are very close with Dolores [Huerta], so many of us are and have been for decades and decades, and none of us knew,&#8221; Newsom said Wednesday. &#8220;All of us, I think, are processing it, and these kids have to process this now. There are almost three dozen schools in the state that are named after Cesar Chavez.&#8221;

Farmworker Union Icon Cesar Chavez Accused Of Sex Abuse Of Girls In Explosive New Report

Left-Wing Icon Accused Of Serially Sexually Abusing Young Girls

Cesar Chavez

Sexual Abuse

The following is an excerpt from the new book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Coup-American-Foreign-Immigration/dp/0063422506/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2ScE6yhPpWqhjL9vQ0veoZeFEKoK-SW5klvoqsOrofi5dqZ60RyEVuzkFwB3LsOB17N4pN3mZpCSC5zE1aFMtve6anXBe8oVZp9CoFhGsDpYwva-kFxORiBxiVBMt78ybm_Iygi_kecSx4vYe2JcLtMEuL0K7i6iVkZebu9Kohc9Qn0jouOAUKFgRB0Za0X97c1aNyuAbj-t7jdHQx0frPGg87S_lZPTI61G0KphbvLFWANCW3c_oI7BeOZxtcz9GBkjzK_Ezxh0ua-mek9YNUNf9bjyZdK9pgM1ZThetSY.LdA0LH4Y17VKDUSKjfHiNEJbmz3cE6tB0Zy5hkU3NVk&amp;qid=1768834032&amp;sr=1-1">The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon</a>” by Peter Schweizer (January 20, 2026/HarperCollins)
* * *
It was a hot July 2009 in Washington, DC, and a silver-haired labor boss stood before the crowd and personified the fusing of Mexico’s territorial ambitions with those of an American president looking to create new voters.
Eliseo Medina was the secretary-treasurer of one of the most powerful unions in America, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America. He also had the ear of the newly elected president, Barack Obama, who had met with him when he was a senator. “Before immigration debates took place in Washington,” Obama had said, “I spoke with Eliseo Medina and SEIU members.”
Medina was a labor boss, but he was also an immigrant. Apparently, he wanted to change America profoundly.
“When they [recently naturalized migrants] voted in November,” Medina observed, “they voted overwhelmingly for progressive candidates. Barack Obama got two out of every three voters who showed up.”
<div id="attachment_1029777" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1029777" class="size-large wp-image-1029777" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-156516304-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 16: Service Employees International Union Secretary-Treasurer Eliseo Medina arrives at the White House on November 16, 2012 in Washington. U.S. President Barack Obama met with Congressional leaders today to discuss deficit reduction and other economic issues. (Photo by Roger Wollenberg/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-156516304-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-156516304-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-156516304-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-156516304.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Roger Wollenberg/Getty Images</div>
So, I think there’s [sic] two things that matter for the progressive community: Number one: If we are to expand this electorate to win, the progressive community needs to solidly be on the side of immigrants. That will expand and solidify the progressive coalition for the future. Number two: [If] we reform the immigration laws, it puts 12 million people on the path to citizenship and eventually voters. Can you imagine if we have, even the same ratio, two out of three? If we have eight million new voters . . . [we] will create a governing coalition for the long term, not just for an election cycle.
What Eliseo Medina didn’t say on that day was that he was not only an immigrant, labor leader, and Obama confidant. He was also an advisor to the Mexican government’s foreign ministry—in particular, the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, which, as we saw earlier, was created by officials because “Mexico needs Mexican Americans to lobby the US government to make decisions favorable to Mexico.”
Elected in the shadow of the 2008 financial crisis, President Barack Obama brought a message of “hope and change” through the “fundamental transformation of America.” The transformation he envisioned was both cultural and political, and Obama likely saw migrants as the vectors for such transformation. Obama’s second job out of college was as a community organizer for the Chicago-based Gamaliel Foundation, “an organization that had long supported immigrant rights.” Immigrants had long been a cornerstone of the progressive coalition in Chicago, where Obama grew up politically.
<div id="attachment_1029755" style="width: 391px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Coup-American-Foreign-Immigration/dp/0063422506/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2ScE6yhPpWqhjL9vQ0veoZeFEKoK-SW5klvoqsOrofi5dqZ60RyEVuzkFwB3LsOB17N4pN3mZpCSC5zE1aFMtve6anXBe8oVZp9CoFhGsDpYwva-kFxORiBxiVBMt78ybm_Iygi_kecSx4vYe2JcLtMEuL0K7i6iVkZebu9Kohc9Qn0jouOAUKFgRB0Za0X97c1aNyuAbj-t7jdHQx0frPGg87S_lZPTI61G0KphbvLFWANCW3c_oI7BeOZxtcz9GBkjzK_Ezxh0ua-mek9YNUNf9bjyZdK9pgM1ZThetSY.LdA0LH4Y17VKDUSKjfHiNEJbmz3cE6tB0Zy5hkU3NVk&amp;qid=1768834032&amp;sr=1-1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1029755" class="wp-image-1029755 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Invisible-Coup-381x576.jpg" alt="Cover credit: Harper" width="381" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Invisible-Coup-381x576.jpg 381w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Invisible-Coup-199x300.jpg 199w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Invisible-Coup-768x1160.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Invisible-Coup.jpg 993w" sizes=" (max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px" /></a>Cover credit: Harper</div>
During the 2008 Democratic Party campaign, Obama lost the hotly contested Pennsylvania primary to Hillary Clinton. He was later caught on tape explaining to donors why, blaming rural voters who opposed mass migration:
“And it’s not surprising that they get bitter; they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
When he wasn’t expressing concerns about the immigrant sentiments of ordinary Americans, Obama declared that his immigrant roots gave him unique and special insights. He told voters in Iowa that “his childhood years in Indonesia and his Kenyan roots” led him to oppose the Iraq war because those experiences had taught him “how powerful tribal and ethnic sentiments are.” For the 2008 election, Obama and his team brazenly “adopted a prominent phrase from within the immigrant rights movement” and made it their campaign slogan: “Sí se puede! Yes we can.”
What Obama understood was that, unlike those rural voters, the most supportive group in the United States for his expansive government agenda to transform America were immigrants. And many of them, like Obama, wanted America to change from the foundation up.
Not only did newly naturalized migrants vote for Democrats in large numbers, but they were also significantly to the left of the typical Democrat. In 2010, 69 percent of immigrants supported Obama’s plans for a massive government takeover of health care, according to polling. Surveys regularly demonstrated that migrants preferred larger and more intrusive government practices, often reflecting socialist experiences in their home countries. During Obama’s first term, 75 percent of Hispanic immigrants told pollsters they preferred a “bigger government providing more services.” Only 41 percent of the general American population agreed.
At the same time, migrants were shown to be less supportive of preserving America’s core values. A 2013 Harris Interactive survey found that “only 50 percent of naturalized citizens” believed “schools should teach children to be proud Americans,” compared with 81 percent of those who were native-born. When asked if “the US Constitution is a higher authority than international law,” only 37 percent of naturalized citizens agreed, compared to 67 percent of American-born natives. And while surveys found that 85 percent of Americans viewed themselves as US citizens and not “citizens of the world,” only 54 percent of naturalized citizens embraced that view.
The partisan advantage for Democrats that Obama and Medina noted was not only real; it was growing. Four years after his election, in 2012, a YouGov survey found that recent immigrants favored Democrats over Republicans by almost four to one.
Therefore, the hard work of ignoring citizenship standards to create these voters needed to continue.
* * *
This excerpt from “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Coup-American-Foreign-Immigration/dp/0063422506/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2ScE6yhPpWqhjL9vQ0veoZeFEKoK-SW5klvoqsOrofi5dqZ60RyEVuzkFwB3LsOB17N4pN3mZpCSC5zE1aFMtve6anXBe8oVZp9CoFhGsDpYwva-kFxORiBxiVBMt78ybm_Iygi_kecSx4vYe2JcLtMEuL0K7i6iVkZebu9Kohc9Qn0jouOAUKFgRB0Za0X97c1aNyuAbj-t7jdHQx0frPGg87S_lZPTI61G0KphbvLFWANCW3c_oI7BeOZxtcz9GBkjzK_Ezxh0ua-mek9YNUNf9bjyZdK9pgM1ZThetSY.LdA0LH4Y17VKDUSKjfHiNEJbmz3cE6tB0Zy5hkU3NVk&amp;qid=1768834032&amp;sr=1-1">The Invisible Coup</a>” is published by permission from Harper, a division of HarperCollins Publishers. “The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon” is written by Peter Schweizer and is available on January 20, 2026.
Peter Schweizer is a #1 bestselling investigative journalist and author. He is the president of the Government Accountability Institute. His previous works have uncovered widespread corruption and have led to official investigations and significant policy reforms. Known for his deep-dive forensic research, Schweizer has become one of the most respected and impactful investigative reporters of his generation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-2012-DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN

‘Eight Million New Voters’: Barack Obama And The Democrat Plan To Flood The Nation With Immigrants

'Eight Million New Voters': Barack Obama And The Democrat Plan To Flood The Nation With Immigrants

Barack Obama

Books

Elections

Illegal Immigration

Socialism is back. We see it with the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York. We also see it in polling from the <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/81-say-they-cant-afford-pay-higher-taxes-next-year">Cato Institute</a> that suggests many young Americans view socialism favorably: “Among Americans under 30, 62 percent feel favorable toward socialism…”
Beyond the obvious economic and political dangers of socialism, one component receives relatively little attention: the culture of work.
People who live and work in socialist societies often report being far less satisfied and motivated than those who work in relatively free markets. When a nation’s government controls businesses, they lose a competitive advantage. As a result, employees who derive dignity from achievement and contribution experience disappointment.
At the same time, people uninterested in hard work are more likely to be coddled and protected. This often perpetuates an environment of mediocrity.
Talk to any driven person who has ever worked in a socialist country, or in an industry controlled by government regulation, and you’ll hear this sentiment. Hard work is not rewarded. Mediocre employees can’t be let go. Innovation is harder to sustain. Work becomes a matter of showing up, biding your time, and accepting that upward mobility is not possible.
I work with a young man who took great risks to escape a socialist country, and I have other colleagues who have lived in socialist countries. Their experiences convey a muted sense of hope that most people have about their employment.
Anecdotes aren’t proof, but they often show you what certain systems tend to produce. A vivid lesson about the dangers of socialism on the culture of work comes from a surprising source: people who have worked in “socialist-like” industries that exist within free markets.
When traveling for business, I’ve spoken to many flight attendants about their work experiences. The vast majority work in heavily unionized environments, and many have told me there is little incentive to do their job well other than their intrinsic desire to make people happy. Their careers are determined by seniority, and chronically underperforming colleagues are tolerated, rarely addressed, and almost never dismissed.
The fantastic flight attendants I met can’t be recruited by competitors — or even move to airlines that pay more or treat employees better — because they’d have to start over at the back of the seniority line. So the next time you experience great service on a flight, show some respect knowing they are often doing what they do out of love for others, not because they are rewarded.
The purpose of work should be to give people the freedom to provide for their families, use the gifts that God has given them, and experience the dignity of serving others well. When leaders organize work with these purposes, they give individuals incentive to tap into their best potential.
However, when organizations tolerate poor performance and remove the extrinsic rewards of achievement, they do a terrible disservice to the dignity of customers and employees alike. It’s important to understand that even underperforming employees lose dignity in socialist societies and organizations as they are prevented from experiencing the tough love necessary to become the best versions of themselves.
This is the real tragedy of socialist workplaces: people rarely become the best versions of themselves. In other words, they settle.
Despite all of this being true, why do large numbers of Americans still say they have a positive view of socialism? I believe there are three reasons.
First, many have never really experienced the impact of socialism. To them, socialism is merely a theory that involves more sharing and kindness. For example, according to actress Amanda Seyfried, socialism means <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/actress-amanda-seyfried-calls-socialism-gorgeous-idea">“taking care of each other.”</a>
Second, many people who say they like socialism already work in socialist organizations and have settled. They are accustomed to roles where competition is muted, and pay and advancement are constrained by rules, not results.
Finally, too many Americans work in very large organizations that mimic some aspects of socialism via crony capitalism and corporate welfare. Their industries are protected by lobbyists and elected officials who thwart authentic capitalism.
When addressing the false hope of socialism, we must not attempt to split the difference. In fact, we must advocate for more competition in all industries, as well as for real consequences for people who consistently underperform. Additionally, we must push for the enforcement of antitrust laws that prevent dangerous monopolies and oligopolies.
Perhaps most important of all, America must support one of the best sources of employment, dignity, and innovation in our society: small businesses. These small companies, where most Americans work, still have great incentives to find new ways to please customers and to attract and retain great employees. But in socialist countries, there is less capital and fewer incentives for entrepreneurs to take risks and start small businesses.
If America truly wants to defend human dignity, we can’t romanticize systems that smother the very drive that makes people come alive. Socialism doesn’t just weaken economies; it weakens people. America doesn’t need more managed mediocrity. It needs the freedom that lets workers, and the work itself, succeed.
* * *
Pat Lencioni is one of the founders of The Table Group, a pioneer of the organizational health movement, and the creator of <a href="https://www.workinggenius.com/about?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21520445429&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD4dDHRyei0FFfuRCa63VdPO11RDk&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwlaTGBhANEiwAoRgXBSUpr89SSKKSTeoiFk-LdSAKpBsTFlfYYrEIm9MHWtUL1HjC7imP1RoC65MQAvD_BwE"> The Working Genius</a>, which helps leaders understand workplace efficiency. He is the bestselling author of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” as well as 12 other books, which have sold over 10 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Mamdani Takes Reins Of New York City After Historic Election Win

Why So Many Americans Romanticize Socialism — And Why They’re Wrong

Communism

Democratic Socialism

Employers

Gen Z

Millennials

New York City

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

WASHINGTON—The largest union of federal employees is pushing for an end to the government shutdown, dealing a major blow to Democrats as the funding fight drags on.
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 federal workers, on Monday <a href="https://www.afge.org/article/its-past-time-to-end-this-shutdown/">urged</a> the Senate to approve a “clean” continuing resolution to end the stalemate. The union, usually a dependable Democratic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-aligned-union-breaks-ranks-demands-end-to-govt-shutdown?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dem-Aligned+Union+Breaks+Ranks%2C+Demands+End+To+Govt+Shutdown">stalwart,</a> all but endorsed Republicans&#8217; plans to end the shutdown in a statement.
“It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said, calling the shutdown “an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together.”
Kelley did not lay blame with either party, but did call for the Senate to pass a &#8220;clean&#8221; continuing resolution — which Republicans have called for from the beginning of the shutdown fight.
About 1.4 million federal workers missed a paycheck last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference Monday morning, urging Senate Democrats to approve the House-passed continuing resolution.
Johnson added that the House had “done its work” by passing the measure a month ago.
“The Army nurse in San Antonio, the TSA officer in Atlanta, the USDA food safety inspector in Iowa, and hundreds of thousands more like them are being asked to keep our country running without the paychecks that keep their own households afloat,&#8221; Kelley said.
Kelley said the workers are &#8220;patriotic Americans – parents, caregivers, and veterans – forced to work without pay while struggling to cover rent, groceries, gas and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington. That is unacceptable.&#8221;
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said AFGE calling for an end to the shutdown “has a lot of impact,&#8221; Semafor&#8217;s Burgess Everett <a href="https://x.com/burgessev/status/1982902515013186033">reported</a> on X.
“It’s something we will be discussing this week,&#8221; Durbin told the outlet. &#8220;I’m not announcing any change in my position at this time. They&#8217;re our friends. We take them seriously.”
Bloomberg News reporter Erik Wasson <a href="https://x.com/elwasson/status/1982857696937496756">reportedly</a> asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) about the union’s statement, but Schumer declined to comment.
The House Freedom Caucus weighed in Monday on X, responding to an NBC report on the union’s stance.
“It’s a bad day for Chuck Schumer when even the AFGE…a union that routinely endorses and supports Democrats…sees how bizarre the Democrats’ position is,” the caucus <a href="https://x.com/freedomcaucus/status/1982858175117484057">wrote on X.</a>
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told The Daily Wire that AFGE is “rightly calling Democrats out on their political games, and hopefully Senate Democrats will listen.”
“Lawmakers are sent to Washington to govern, but Democrats seem to think their job is to obstruct the agenda of the President of the United States and to jeopardize the livelihoods of the American people,” Emmer said.
Emmer said Americans on “both sides of the aisle are seeing right through the Democrats’ lies and they will be held accountable for their hostage tactics.”
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (PA) said <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1982809715831628084">on X</a> that AFGE is “firmly on the right side of this and we should absolutely listen.”
“Our servicemembers, federal workers, and Capitol Police are hurting. It’s one of many reasons why I’ve continuously voted to open our government. We need to end this chaos,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman sided with Republicans on the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government, as did Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Angus King (I-ME).
This week, many politicians have highlighted the looming November 1 expiration of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which will affect more than 42 million people.
The SNAP <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program">website</a> currently cites Democrats for failing to reopen the government, stating, “Bottom line, the well has run dry.”
There are currently discussions of a potential bill to pay “certain” federal workers between Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), as reported by <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1982861472968376606">Punchbowl News</a>.
As of Monday evening, a spokesman for Johnson’s office confirmed talks are “ongoing.”
On the Senate floor Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer <a href="https://x.com/AmberJoCooper/status/1982908995909382282">claimed</a> the Trump administration is “making an intentional choice not to fund SNAP this weekend.”
“The emergency funding is there — the administration is just choosing not to use it. And for those who say the money can’t be moved around so easily, that’s a load of bunk. If the administration can cough up $40 billion for Argentina, they can find money for SNAP by this Saturday,” Schumer said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://x.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1982893996847555019">maintained</a> that the Senate can reopen the government this week if five “courageous” Democrats vote with them, adding there will be another opportunity to vote to reopen in the coming days.

Federal Employees Hold Rally Calling For End Of Government Shutdown

‘It’s A Bad Day For Chuck Schumer’: Dems Waver As Fed Union Calls For End To Shutdown

Chuck Schumer

Federal Government

Government Shutdown

John Thune

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation’s largest federal workers’ union, is once again applying political pressure in Washington, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/afge-largest-federal-workers-union-end-shutdown-rcna239767">demanding</a> that Democrats abandon their current negotiating stance and pass a clean funding measure to end the government shutdown.
AFGE President Everett Kelley, whose union represents more than 800,000 federal and D.C. government employees, urged Congress to reopen the government immediately under a short-term continuing resolution and ensure full back pay for federal employees, both those who have been furloughed and those forced to work without pay.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The federal employees’ union is no friend of President Trump and even they agree: pass a clean CR and reopen the government.
Democrats’ political posturing needs to end. <a href="https://t.co/BU2H8N35qb">https://t.co/BU2H8N35qb</a>
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/SarahHuckabee/status/1982811195775070387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today,” Kelley said in a <a href="https://www.afge.org/article/its-past-time-to-end-this-shutdown/">statement.</a>
“Senate Democrats have insisted that they won’t vote to reopen the government without a commitment from Republicans and President Donald Trump on extending health care subsidies through the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year,” NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/afge-largest-federal-workers-union-end-shutdown-rcna239767">noted</a>.
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While AFGE frames the shutdown as a purely humanitarian issue, the union has a long history of political alignment with the Democratic Party. It endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and has participated in Democratic-aligned protests, including demonstrations against President Donald Trump. AFGE has also taken legal action to enforce its agenda, suing over Trump-era mass layoffs and claiming partisan messaging unfairly blamed Democrats for previous shutdowns. AFGE also has a <a href="https://www.influencewatch.org/labor-union/american-federation-of-government-employees/">checkered past</a>, with numerous officials convicted or pleading guilty to corruption offenses.
Kelley’s statement portrays federal workers as innocent victims caught in political crossfire, highlighting employees from the TSA, the Army, and the USDA who are working without pay while struggling to cover basic expenses. “These are patriotic Americans—parents, caregivers, and veterans—forced to work without pay because of political disagreements in Washington. That is unacceptable,” Kelley wrote.
The union’s demand for a “clean” continuing resolution — without conditions or policy negotiations — effectively undercuts Democrats’ negotiating leverage and aligns with Republicans’ repeated calls to fund the government immediately. As the standoff approaches a full month, AFGE’s demands illustrate the growing tension between the federal workforce and the Democratic Party.

Trump ‘Crypto Week’ Advances As House Conservatives End Blockade

Dem-Aligned Union Breaks Ranks, Demands End To Govt Shutdown

Democratic Party

General

Politics

After a weekend in which at least 52 people were shot and seven died in his city, Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson shouted to the crowd at a Labor Day Rally that they had to defend themselves from President Donald Trump’s intention to clean things up.
On August 22, President Trump signaled he might intervene in Chicago as he had in Washington, D.C., <a href="https://www.fox19.com/2025/08/22/stay-out-our-city-chicago-officials-slam-trumps-threat-target-city-next-crime-crackdown/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">telling</a> reporters, “I think Chicago will be our next. … And then we’ll help with New York.” The following day, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/23/trump-chicago-military-national-guard/">reported</a> that the Pentagon had been planning a military deployment to Chicago for weeks. On August 26, Trump escalated his rhetoric, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OVoa6OkxLWM">declaring</a>, “Everybody knows Chicago is a hellhole right now.”
Under Johnson, Chicago experienced <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-crime-numbers-johnson-releases-2024-stats-touts-citys-progress.amp?utm_source=chatgpt.com">572 homicides</a> in 2024, making it the deadliest U.S. city by total homicides for the 13th consecutive year.
“No federal troops in the city of Chicago,” Johnson yelled to the crowd. “No militarized force in the city of Chicago. We’re going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago. We’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago. And we got the baddest freaking labor movement in the city of Chicago, birthed right here.”
Johnson then threatened, “We’re gonna take this fight across America but we gotta defend our home front first.”
He then launched into a paean to the labor movement and DEI rhetoric, yelling:
<blockquote>
The best way we can defend our home front is to make sure that every single worker has a livable wage. That’s why we abolished the sub-minimum wage in Chicago for brown and black women. They get raises on top of their tips. This is the city of Chicago, where we have given paid time off for over a million workers, ten days off, the biggest city in America to ever do it. This is the labor movement, you all, on pace to build more affordable units, a teachers’ contract that protects black women, a teachers’ contract that protects LGBTQ community, the teacher contract that protects immigrants. This is the greatest freaking city in the world. We’re Chi-town.
</blockquote>
“Now look, there are some people that have doubts in the labor movement. There are some people who believe that we don’t have the power to beat authoritarianism. But I’m also a history teacher as well. We have stood up for the interests of workers before and we will do it again, and no matter what comes from the White House, Chicago will always be a labor town. Are you with me, Chicago?” he declared.
After having mentioned he had been a history teacher, he promptly falsified history, saying, “Are you prepared to defend this land, this land that was built by slaves, a land that was built by indigenous people, a land that was built by workers, are you prepared to defend this land? The people, united, will always prevail.”
He turned back to Trump: “I need you all to stand firm, to stand strong if this president decides to continue to break this Constitution, it’s gonna be the labor movement that stitches it back together, the labor movement that brings black folks, white folks, Asians; it brings brown folks together. This is a city that said, ‘Keep hope alive,’ the city that birthed, ‘Yes we can,’ and the city that will defend this country.”
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115134530741891730">Truth Social</a>:
<blockquote>
At least 54 people were shot in Chicago over the weekend, 8 people were killed. The last two weekends were similar. Chicago is the worst and most dangerous city in the World, by far. Pritzker needs help badly, he just doesn’t know it yet. I will solve the crime problem fast, just like I did in DC. Chicago will be safe again, and soon. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115134772860379495">added</a>, &#8220;CHICAGO IS THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xgEM6_uu_ww?si=7Cw08hpg4x00jR0a" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></blockquote>

Labor Day Rally And March Held In Chicago

Chicago Mayor Calls On Organized Labor To ‘Defend’ City From Trump

Brandon Johnson

Chicago

Crime

Illinois

While the vast majority of Americans who dwell outside the ivory tower may roll their eyes at the crazed, fanatical politics that have festered at many college campuses across the country, this extremism hits much closer to home for level-headed college students and faculty. Recently, the Trump Administration has been using its control over federal education grants to push back against campus radicalism at some of America’s most elite universities.
Yet still untouched is the massive power that the Obama and Biden Administrations granted to campus union bosses who are frequently at the center of the most extreme and sometimes even violent so-called “activism” taking place at universities. It is time that Trump appointees go to work to fix it.
You see, currently, union bosses on dozens of campuses across the country are exercising government-granted powers that require unwilling graduate students to associate with (and often subsidize) campus unions. College administrators are also forced to “negotiate” with these union officials over campus policies, including discipline for violent campus agitators.
Those unfamiliar with labor law might wonder how union officials obtained such clout on college campuses in the first place – aren’t graduate students students, and not workers on a production line?
It all traces back to controversial rulings by the Obama and Biden National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which handed union bosses the power to obtain monopoly “representation” power over graduate and doctoral students. In states that lack Right to Work protections, that power includes forcing students to pay union dues.
This means union bosses can upend graduate students’ academic careers if they refuse to fund a group whose ideology they find abhorrent, which threatens both academic freedom and religious freedom on campus.
<div id="attachment_967075" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-967075" class="size-large wp-image-967075" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1762566453-864x576.jpg" alt="ITHACA, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 3: People walk through the Cornell University campus on November 3, 2023 in Ithaca, New York. The university canceled classes after one of its students is accused of making violent antisemitic threats. (Photo by Matt Burkhartt/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1762566453-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1762566453-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1762566453-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/GettyImages-1762566453.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Matt Burkhartt/Getty Images</div>
Take the case of David Rubinstein, a Ph.D. student in history at Cornell University whose research concerns the postwar Jewish diaspora in Europe. David, who is Jewish, wants as little as possible to do with the Cornell Graduate Student Union (CGSU-UE, an affiliate of the United Electrical union), knowing union officials’ virulent opposition to Israel and affinity for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
But when David exercised his right under federal law and demanded an accommodation to union dues payment based on his religious beliefs, union officials refused. They harassed Rubinstein and other religious objectors with unnecessary and illegal “questionnaires” that demanded they divulge particulars about their religious practice, their faith organizations, and faith leaders. As a result, with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation, David is pursuing a federal civil rights case challenging CGSU-UE’s illegal tactics.
Numerous graduate students at other campuses have similarly needed to take legal action just to get campus union bosses to respect their legal rights. Yet graduate students shouldn’t need to jump through union-created hoops and tangle with union lawyers just to pursue a graduate degree in the first place.
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Fortunately, a more comprehensive solution is on the horizon. Russell Burgett, another Ph.D. student from Cornell, recently launched a groundbreaking NLRB case to strike at the heart of union bosses’ monopoly bargaining powers on campuses. A victory for him would free any dissenting graduate student – whether their opposition is political, religious, financial, or otherwise – from having their academic fates dictated by union apparatchiks.
His Foundation-backed case argues that Obama and Biden NLRB appointees were wrong to “reinterpret” federal law to allow union officials to collectivize graduate students. Nothing in the statute’s plain text suggests that students, whose primary reason for being on campus is to pursue a degree, should be included in the National Labor Relations Act’s definition of “employees.”
If he wins, militant campus union bosses would be stripped of their government-granted powers that let them dragoon unwilling students into their ranks, while also freeing administrators of their current obligation to “negotiate” with union boss radicals over the conditions of all graduate students.
President Trump is currently staffing up his NLRB. He should ensure his appointees get to work quickly on ending the monopoly “representation” and forced-dues powers that previous administrations improperly handed to campus extremists.
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Mark Mix is president of the National Right to Work Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Cornell University, College Town, Ithaca, NY, stone entrance sign with red Geraniums

For Grad Students, Labor Day Needs To Be Liberation Day From Radical Campus Union Bosses

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