Retirement 'bittersweet' for union boss who challenged Trump

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Chuck Jones joined the United Steel Workers, unions flexed their power to strike and crossing a picket line could be met with brute force.

[...] working-class people in general — we're not doing good, said Jones, 65, whose thick, gray mustache, artful use of profanity and ever-present cigarette wedged between his fingers give him the appearance of union boss straight from central casting.

Jones became a steel worker straight out of high school in 1969 during a high tide of the U.S. labor movement that helped propel a generation of blue-collar workers into the middle class.

Elected as the local's vice president in 1985, just before the union went on strike, Jones at one point could command workers to shut down their machines if labor issues weren't resolved.

First off, the guy is going to say, '(Expletive) you, I ain't shutting nothing down.'

In recent years, contract negotiations have been aimed at trying to give up as few benefits as possible while making sure wages keep pace with inflation.

Rexnord issued a statement standing by the relocation of its Indianapolis operations, saying "difficult decisions are a part of today's business environment."