President-elect Donald Trump is feuding with an Indiana union leader after Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999 in Indianapolis, said Mr. Trump lied for saying he helped save 1,100 jobs.
“He didn’t tell the truth. He inflated the numbers, and I called him out on it,” Mr. Jones said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.”
Mr. Trump has said the deal he helped broker with Carrier, a manufacturing company, is keeping more than 1,100 people in their jobs. But Mr. Jones said that number is closer to 800, and more than 500 jobs are still being shipped to Mexico.
Mr. Jones says every time he talks to the press about the deal, he thanks Mr. Trump for helping save 800 jobs. But he said the president-elect doesn’t listen to that part.
“The reality is, is we’re grateful, once again, to have 730 of our members still have a job, and it’s due to President-elect Trump getting involved,” Mr. Jones. said. “My problem is is when they put out earlier in the week that 1,100 and some odd jobs were going to be saved, a lot of the people thought at that point in time that they were going to have a job.”
“They did not mention anything about 550 jobs here in Indianapolis going to Mexico,” he said.
Mr. Trump went after Mr. Jones on Twitter Wednesday evening after Mr. Jones had said earlier this week that Mr. Trump inflated the terms of the deal.
“Chuck Jones who is president of United Steelworkers 1999 has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!” Mr. Trump tweeted Wednesday evening.
“If United Steelworkers 1999 was any good, they would have kept those jobs in Indiana. Spend more time working-less time talking. Reduce dues,” the president-elect also tweeted.
Mr. Jones has said he’s been receiving threats since he criticized Mr. Trump earlier in the week.
“I’ve been doing this job 30 years and had a lot more serious threats than what people [were] making right now,” he said. “I’ve got a little more thicker skin maybe than I did many years ago.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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