Unions that rely on taxpayer-funded dues to keep their lights on have taken prominent roles in organizing the “No Kings” protests that are scheduled to be held across the nation on Saturday — coinciding with President Donald Trump’s military parade intended to commemorate the Army’s 250th birthday.
The Service Employees International Union, American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Government Employees, and American Postal Workers Union — public sector unions that collectively represent millions of government employees and rely on their dues to fund operations — are listed as partners helping to plan the nearly 1,800 No Kings protests planned for Saturday. The National Treasury Employees Union, another public union, was “briefly and erroneously listed as a partner on the No Kings website,” a spokesperson for the union confirmed to the Washington Examiner after being reached about the organization’s logo appearing on the protest’s website.
Some of the unions, such as the SEIU and AFT, have taken especially prominent roles in helping activists prepare for the demonstrations.
AFT, headed by noted labor activist Randi Weingarten, has a number of events slated to help train protesters ahead of Saturday. On Thursday night, for instance, the union is holding a webinar to teach demonstrators “de-escalation strategies and practical tools to handle challenges” to prepare them for “tough interactions with law enforcement [and] frustrated bystanders or counter-protesters.” Also on Thursday, the union is tapping its members to send out floods of text messages encouraging people to show up for the protests.
“On Saturday, folks across the country will join in peaceful, nonviolent action to affirm that in America, power belongs to the people,” Weingarten posted on X, sharing a link to information about the protests. “We’re coming together to lift up what matters most: strong public schools, thriving communities & opportunity for all.”
Michael Watson, research director at the Capital Research Center, told the Washington Examiner that union-curious Republicans “absolutely should reconsider” in wake of the protests.
“By joining demonstrations against immigration enforcement and the broader Trump administration agenda, labor unions are showing their true colors — they are a pillar institution of the professional Left,” Watson said. “Short-run political expediency cannot change a pattern that has lasted for about a century and a half: Organized labor serves institutional progressivism, and institutional progressivism serves organized labor.”
In helping to organize the mass protests, public unions are linking themselves to some of the more radical elements of the liberal coalition. Partners joining the AFT and other public unions in organizing the No Kings protest include Jewish Voice for Peace and the Organization for Black Struggle.
The Organization for Black Struggle is a self-described “radical” racial advocacy organization that supports reparations for slavery and was founded to “fight to advance beyond capitalism.” Jewish Voice for Peace, meanwhile, has been a major player in the pro-Palestinian protests that cropped up across the country following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel — with many of its activists being arrested after violating the law through their demonstrations.
The SEIU, meanwhile, is seeking to control the messaging that goes out at Saturday’s protest as its secretary-treasurer is slated to deliver remarks at an “event attendee pre-mobilization call” where protesters will be briefed with “key messaging guidance” and “best practices on how to prepare for participation in the mass mobilization on June 14th.”
This wouldn’t be the SEIU’s first foray into high-profile anti-Trump protests. The union has been involved in coordinating and mobilizing activists for the Los Angeles protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have led to violent clashes with law enforcement and arson throughout the city. David Huerta, the president of the Service Employees International Union of California, was arrested during the protests.
“You often find that these unions serve as a home for street agitators, the professional protesters and the ‘direct action’ trainers,” Center for Security Policy Kyle Shideler told Tablet magazine on June 8. “It’s a place where they still understand the value of a certain amount of street politics — the ability to hold a pop-up rally, a protest, maybe a riot. So the unions provide for the institutionalization of certain capabilities, a place where they can live in a more or less respectable way. And a lot of the genuine radicals find a home in everyday union organizing.”
UNION BOSSES ACROSS THE NATION CUT LARGE PAYCHECKS TO FAMILY
The Washington Examiner previously reported on groups behind the chaos in Los Angeles receiving funding via government grants, highlighting another avenue through which activist groups are subsidized by taxpayer dollars.
The SEIU, AFT, AFGE, and APWU did not respond to requests for comment.
