Trump's charm offensive has US unions divided

New York

LIKE Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump racked up the support of millions of blue-collar white voters in Midwestern swing states, and like Reagan, the 45th president is pushing to nail down more blue-collar support to ensure a lasting Republican majority.

In doing so, he has championed many issues straight out of organised labour's wish list - he is pressing manufacturers not to ship jobs overseas, he has promised US$1 trillion in infrastructure spending, he has threatened a 35 per cent tariff to slow Mexican imports, and he has vowed to overhaul Nafta.

While Reagan lined up support from only a few unions, Mr Trump is seeking to go one better; he is wooing many unions and their members directly, from carpenters to coal miners to autoworkers. At …