Union workers in North Carolina look to November, with one of their own seeking statewide office
Braxton Winston II, the Democratic candidate for commissioner of labor, sits on a panel at the NC State AFL-CIO convention in Raleigh on Sept. 19, 2024. (Photo: Galen Bacharier)
The North Carolina State AFL-CIO will see one of its own on the ballot this November, as the union aims to help deliver wins to a slate of Democratic candidates.
Braxton Winston II, running for labor commissioner, is the first hourly union worker to run for the office in North Carolina. He was joined by other candidates at a panel during the state AFL-CIO’s annual convention in Raleigh on Thursday.
“I know we know this well in this room — labor issues have always been political, right?” Winston said. “But they really shouldn’t be — and they’re not — partisan.”
A union stagehand and grip in the film industry and former Charlotte city council member, Winston is facing Republican Raleigh attorney Luke Farley in the race to head the department.
Josh Dobson, a Republican who has been commissioner since 2020, is not running for re-election.
Braxton Winston II (left) and Luke Farley (right)
“The constitution is the collective bargaining contract we all abide by, right?” Winston said. “It doesn’t solve all the problems, but it provides the framework that when we get into conflicts, we can sit across the table and negotiate in good faith, with everybody protected.”
The NC State AFL-CIO last month announced its endorsements for November, backing Democratic candidates for statewide offices, court seats and legislative districts.
That includes gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Josh Stein, who is set to address the convention Friday along with Gov. Roy Cooper.
North Carolina’s union membership rate remains one of the lowest in the U.S. Just 2.7% of employed wage and salary workers were union members as of 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; 3.3% are represented by unions.
But a national leader called on the state’s members to act as a “vanguard” for voters to elect labor-backed candidates.
“We are the ones holding the line to help make sure that we have not just a now, but a then,” said Roxanne Brown, international vice president of the United Steelworkers. “And if we don’t do it, and if we don’t show up in these next 46 days, we know the danger that is ahead of us.”
Atop the ballot, where battleground North Carolina remains top of mind, both presidential candidates have jockeyed for the support of labor.
On Wednesday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union announced they would not endorse in the presidential race. It was the union’s first non-endorsement in nearly 30 years. (Polling of members released by the union showed strong support for Trump over Harris.)
“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien said in a statement.
Harris has seen support from other corners of the labor field — including several regional Teamsters councils, as well as the national United Auto Workers.
Trump has also courted labor in the 2024 campaign. O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention — a break from tradition for a modern GOP that has generally gravitated toward business leaders while Democrats seek labor support.
And the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest law enforcement union in the U.S., endorsed Trump last month in Charlotte.
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