Watchdog claims railroad union bosses again Democrats over pro-Trump members

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FIRST ON FOX: One of many nation’s most outstanding railroad unions is going through new scrutiny after a watchdog report alleged its management is quietly working towards the political opinions of its members who assist President Donald Trump's agenda.

The report, launched by the American Accountability Basis (AAF), claims the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), one of many nation’s oldest labor unions, is run by leaders who're endorsing and selling Democratic insurance policies and candidates regardless of a membership base that information suggests largely helps the president.

The report, which alleges the union "betrayed" its MAGA members, factors to the union’s endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket within the 2024 election cycle, in addition to its ties to outstanding Democrats together with Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who's working for Senate once more.

Whereas BLET has touted Republicans lately, together with earlier this 12 months when it applauded Vice President JD Vance and the bipartisan reintroduction of the Railway Security Act (RSA), the report highlights repeated criticism of Trump-era insurance policies, together with transportation rules, immigration enforcement, and the conservative-backed Undertaking 2025 agenda, alongside reward for the insurance policies of the Biden administration.

WORKERS SAY 'I LIKE UNIONS, I JUST DON'T LIKE MY UNION' — HERE'S WHAT THEY'RE DISCOVERING

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A evaluation of the union's social media account by AAF exhibits quite a few examples of the union opposing numerous strikes by the primary Trump administration throughout his presidential marketing campaign towards incumbent Joe Biden, which the report describes as proof of "woke management."

"Within the lead-up to the 2024 election, BLET issued 14 tweets that criticized the actions of the primary Trump administration whereas praising the Biden administration's railroad insurance policies," the report says. "The messaging was clearly supposed to skew union members towards the Democratic presidential ticket. In these tweets, they attacked practically each main Trump-era rail coverage choice whereas framing the Biden administration's actions positively."

The union’s public assist of Democrats had a monetary angle as properly, because the report states that the group spent greater than $26 million on political exercise lately, with the overwhelming majority supporting Democratic candidates and causes to a level that AAF known as "surprising."

In keeping with the report, 99% of the union’s social gathering committee donations went to Democrats.

"For instance, within the 2016 cycle, BLET donated $15,000 to the DNC after they have been the nexus for GOTV for the Hillary Clinton marketing campaign however by no means donated a greenback to the RNC," the report says. "In 2024, lengthy after it had turn into clear that industrial union membership was strongly behind President Trump, the BLET management nonetheless hadn’t gotten the message, making 24 completely different donations to Democrat social gathering committees for a complete of $53,400 and a mere two donations to Republican committees for a spare $2000."

LEAKED TEACHERS' UNION K-12 TRAINING PRESENTATION RAILS AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, RED STATES

In keeping with the report, the divide displays a broader shift in American politics, with blue-collar staff more and more backing former President Donald Trump whereas union management stays entrenched in conventional left-leaning positions.

The report goes past the union’s spending on politics and delves into what it calls "waste and abuse" within the type of tens of millions of {dollars} of member dues being shelled out for journey, motels, and "swag."

"Whereas it’s unhealthy sufficient that BLET spent over $5,000,000 on motels and conferences, much more regarding is the truth that the union spent over $2,000,000 on casinos and resorts alone," the report says. "The union seems extra involved with staying at entertaining vacation spot resorts than they do being thrifty with their members’ dues."

Current polling exhibits that labor unions like BLET encompass a lot of staff who assist Trump, together with Teamsters polling that exhibits a 60/40 breakdown in favor of Trump and exit polling from the 2024 election that exhibits working-class voters with out a faculty diploma went 56% for Trump and 42% for Harris.

The report additionally factors to management compensation as a part of the disconnect, noting a number of prime officers incomes over $200,000 yearly, with the union president and vp every making greater than $300,000.

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Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen BLET Union maintain posters as they participate throughout a strike exterior New Jersey Transit's Headquarters on Might 16, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey. (Picture by Kena Betancur/Getty Pictures)

"The boys pulling America’s freight voted for President Trump as a result of they imagine in safe borders and placing American staff first," AAF President Tom Jones stated in a press release to Fox Information Digital.

"However their union bosses are busy dwelling massive on member dues and carrying water for the Left. They’ve turned a blue-collar brotherhood right into a woke political machine that’s doing every part it will possibly towards the Trump-Vance agenda, and likewise, towards on a regular basis railroad staff. Each BLET member needs to be asking the place their hard-earned {dollars} are actually going."

In a press release to Fox Information Digital, a BLET spokesperson stated: "We don't touch upon false press releases by darkish cash teams who haven't any accountability to the reality."