The Head of the South Dakota AFL-CIO Routinely Posts Ultra Right-Wing Memes on Facebook

[marmar]

(In These Times) Duwayne Wohlleber is the president of the South Dakota AFL-CIO, a role that makes him, in effect, the highest-ranking labor leader in the state. Wohlleber is also fond of posting right wing memes on Facebook—recently, celebrating the Confederate flag, praising law enforcement, and joking about shooting “rioters.”

South Dakota, where less than 7% of workers are represented by unions, has one of the lowest union densities of any state outside of the South. Like most places in America, union strength has been declining there for years, particularly in industrial jobs. It is not as though there is not a pressing need in South Dakota for stronger organized labor and the workplace protections it provides. The Smithfield pork factory in Sioux Falls became national news this year when it was struck with a severe (and deadly) coronavirus outbreak, a harsh example of what is at stake when it comes to workplace safety.

Though South Dakota is 85% white, the Smithfield workforce is full of immigrants from all over the world. Black Lives Matter protests have happened in Sioux Falls this month. It is fair to ask whether Duwayne Wohlleber is the best person to be the face of the state’s labor movement. Screenshots from Wohlleber’s Facebook page, provided to In These Times, show that he frequently posts right wing content, including many recent posts that decry that anti-racism protests that have been ongoing for the past several weeks. ............(more)

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/22622/south-dakota-afl-cio-right-wing-memes-union-labor