Omaha Steve's Labor Group

In the 2024 presidential election, union households supported Kamala Harris, but by a narrower margin than union members alone
. While union members showed strong backing for Democrats, former President Donald Trump gained support among some working-class voters and within specific unions. Overall, the organized labor vote held for Democrats in a strong result, according to labor leaders.
Overall union vote
According to the AP VoteCast survey, a poll considered to be highly accurate, the split among union voters was as follows:

Kamala Harris: 57% of union members
Donald Trump: 41% of union members

This 16-point margin for Harris was an improvement for Democrats compared to the 14-point margin won by Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Vote by union household vs. member
It is important to differentiate between the votes of union members and the broader category of union households, which include voters who are not union members themselves.

Union members: Supported Harris by the stronger 16-point margin, according to AP VoteCast data.
Union households: Backed Harris by a narrower 55% to 43% margin, according to NBC and CNN exit polls.

Vote by specific unions
Voting patterns varied significantly among different unions:

Unions with high Harris support:
National Education Association (NEA): 77.5% for Harris
American Federation of Teachers (AFT): 75.2% for Harris
Unions with mixed or Trump support:
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT): Nearly 50% for Trump, while roughly 33% backed Harris. The union declined to endorse Harris, unlike their 2020 endorsement of Biden.
United Auto Workers (UAW): The union noted that their members voted based on "unchecked corporate greed" and that they would continue their advocacy no matter who was in the White House.

Factors influencing the vote

Economy: Economic concerns, including inflation, played a role in how union members voted. Those who blamed corporate greed for inflation overwhelmingly supported Harris (68.8%), while those who blamed government policies mostly supported Trump (53.6%).
Messaging: Labor leaders acknowledged that some of the Democratic Party's general economic messaging struggled to resonate with all working people. The Trump campaign also directly appealed to rank-and-file union members in key battleground states.

Impact on the election
Despite the support for Harris among union voters, she failed to win the "Blue Wall" states in the Midwest where unions have significant power, such as Pennsylvania. Some analysts noted that the shift of some working-class votes toward Trump in 2024 played a role in the overall election outcome. For more context on the role of unions, see the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School.