Politics is often predictable, and the recent storm created by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s support of a United Auto Workers strike is solid evidence.
On Tuesday, just days after Missouri’s senior GOP senator made a weekend appearance in Wentzville to support union workers walking a picket line, the Missouri AFL-CIO blasted Hawley — in no uncertain terms.
Hawley is “a fraud who doesn’t give a damn about Missouri workers and only shows up when the camera flashes,†said Jake Hummel, president of the state labor organization.
The battle between Hawley and Lucas Kunce over their organized labor credentials — especially since some see a potentially close race next year between the two — promises to be one of the defining issues of the campaigns.Ìý
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“It’s no surprise that in an election cycle where Josh Hawley will face off against an actual champion for Missouri workers, he suddenly finds his way to a picket line,†Hummel said.
Kunce, one of four Democrats vying for a shot at Hawley in November 2024, has secured endorsements from Hummel’s group and numerous other labor guilds.
The other three Democrats seeking their party’s nomination — St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, state Sen. Karla May of St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë and Columbia activist December Harmon — have run quiet campaigns to this point.
There has been nothing quiet about Kunce’s run at Hawley.
As reported in this space a month ago when he appeared at a north St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë County labor hall, Kunce has been making sure people across the state are aware of Hawley’s history with labor movements.
In summer 2018, Hawley supported the passage of a union-damaging right-to-work law, which was defeated by Missouri voters.
Then in November of the same year, Hawley opposed a minimum wage hike proposal, which was approved by Missouri voters.
But on Monday, Hawley said he has switched his position — and no longer supports — “right to work†measures.
“The people of Missouri made their decision and now the question is are we going to support these workers and their struggle to keep jobs in America,†Hawley said in a radio interview with KTTN (92.3 FM) in Trenton, Missouri.
Hawley also told KZRG (1310 AM) in Joplin that “I respect that decision and I certainly wouldn’t support any federal legislation to impose right to work on anybody.â€
On a more national stage, Kunce managed to get himself quoted  in the Washington Post, an article that questioned the GOP’s commitment to organized labor.
“The big picture here is that there has been an incredible transfer of wealth from working people to the shareholder class,†Kunce said. “Unions are the way that everyday working people get power back.â€
For Hawley’s part, he defended his previous stances in interviews at the Wentzville picket site — and brushed off the fact that he has a 0% agreement rating in the most recent United Auto Workers Labor Union scorecard and an 11% approval rating with the government employees’ labor union.
“What organizations rate me doesn’t matter to me,†Hawley told Post-Dispatch reporter Ethan Colbert. “These guys deserve a raise ... and the company can absolutely afford to pay it.â€
Despite their obvious differences, the incumbent U.S. senator and St. ÑÇÖÞÎÞÂë mayor are acting now like they know who they'll need to beat to keep their jobs.