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Ohio AFL-CIO Chief Says the Details Will Sink Trump's Angry Message in Ohio

Donald Trump lost the Ohio primary but showed strength in eastern border counties.
Karen Kasler
/
Ohio Public Radio
Donald Trump lost the Ohio primary but showed strength in eastern border counties.
Donald Trump lost the Ohio primary but showed strength in eastern border counties.
Credit Karen Kasler / Ohio Public Radio
/
Ohio Public Radio
Donald Trump lost the Ohio primary but showed strength in eastern border counties.

As expected, the AFL-CIO has formally endorsed Hillary Clinton for president. But the head of the labor coalition in Ohio acknowledgesDonald Trump’smessage resonates with some union members. 

TimBurgasays Hillary Clinton has earned union support through her detailed economic platform, and support for a higher minimum wage, collective bargaining and keeping jobs from heading overseas. He says union leadership will push those specifics hard – especially with Ohio members who are considering Donald Trump.

“So when Donald Trump says he wants to get tough on China, that sounds pretty good. Now, what does that mean? He doesn’t have one policy idea on what that means. So he’s just simply saying whatever he needs to say to try to make this emotional connection to tap into the anger that’s out there.”

Burga says many of the conversations that will swing potential Trump voters will be shop-floor chats between people who respect each other. He acknowledges union membership has continued to dwindle, but notes unions have a vaunted get-out-the-vote effort.

Trump lost the Ohio primary toGov. JohnKasich, but did well in the economically troubled eastern border of the state.

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M.L. Schultze
M.L. Schultze came to WKSU as news director in July 2007 after 25 years at The Repository in Canton, where she was managing editor for nearly a decade. She’s now the digital editor and an award-winning reporter and analyst who has appeared on NPR, Here and Now and the TakeAway, as well as being a regular panelist on Ideas, the WVIZ public television's reporter roundtable.