Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has cast himself as a champion of workers, but behind the scenes his relationships with some labor unions are increasingly rocky.
Several union officials tell Axios that the potential 2028 presidential candidate says the right things to them but often doesn't follow through — and that he's even combative toward organized labor at times.
Why it matters: The tension with labor officials is the latest obstacle that Moore, an Afghanistan veteran and former investment banker, faces in his backyard as he builds a national profile ahead of a possible run for the White House.
Moore is a self-described political outsider who won public office for the first time only four years ago, and he's acknowledged some growing pains.
One of the clearest signs of that friction has come from unions. The Maryland State and D.C. AFL-CIO hasn't endorsed Moore's reelection campaign this year, after backing him in the 2022 general election.
Zoom in: Donna Edwards, president of the Maryland State and DC AFL-CIO, told Axios that Moore's team didn't return an endorsement questionnaire, "and we must have a questionnaire returned by a candidate in order to consider anything."
But sources told Axios that the issue goes deeper than that — and that no one at the group's spring meeting spoke up in favor of backing Moore.
Meanwhile, Baltimore/Washington International Airport food serviceworkers launched a "Poor Because of Moore" campaign this month, saying he hasn't done enough to help them win higher wages with companies.
Moore has "been pretty antagonistic," said Tracy Lingo, a vice president of the state AFL-CIO and president of Maryland's Unite Here Local 7, which represents the airport employees.
"It's hard to say whether it's because they don't actually care about working people's interests or they're just too busy running for president to actually be governing the state."
Another state labor leader said of Moore: "He's been godawful, and I think it's been a combination of, like, he has bad politics, and his administration just doesn't seem to function very well."
Multiple union officials told us that it can be difficult to reach the governor's team, including Dyana Forester, Moore's senior director of labor relations.
Forester said her personal and work phone numbers "have always been public. Labor leaders call me at sometimes 5 a.m. in the morning till 10 o'clock at night."
She added that the state AFL-CIO leadership advised Moore's team not to submit a questionnaire because "we were unlikely to secure an endorsement."
Another Moore aide said Forester "is wrong" and that the campaign has had "productive" conversations recently about a general election endorsement.
Moore also has had friction with some in the building trades over a lack of clarity over whether the Francis Scott Key Bridge is going to be rebuilt with a project labor agreement, which unions prefer.
And AFSCME Maryland Council 3, which represents public service workers, did not reach an agreement on salary increases with the Moore administration, blowing past a December deadline. The union said it rejected an offer from the state because members thought the proposed wages were too low.
Zoom out: Organized labor is a key part of the Democratic coalition, and Moore's union feuds could come back to haunt him if he runs for president in 2028.
Maryland is deep blue, but labor officials in more competitive early primary states have close relationships with those in Maryland.
The other side: Not all Maryland unions are upset with Moore. The firefighters union, the Maryland State Education Association and some others have endorsed his reelection campaign.
"We have been more successful under Gov. Moore than any governor that I can remember in recent memory," said Jeff Buddle of the Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland.
And Moore has some allies in the state AFL-CIO. Raymond Jackson, a vice president there and president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, urged those in unions to contrast Moore's record with that of his predecessor, Republican Larry Hogan, who often clashed with labor.
"We just need to be patient. It didn't take us four years to get into where we're at, and it's gonna take us a little time to get out of it," he said.
What they're saying: Moore spokesman Ammar Moussa said his administration "has worked closely with organized labor since day one to improve wages, strengthen workplace protections, expand collective bargaining rights" and more.
"Like every administration, we do not agree with every stakeholder and partner on every issue. Our focus remains on negotiating in good faith, governing responsibly, and continuing to deliver."
Moore's team points to raising Maryland's minimum wage to $15 an hour ahead of schedule and boosting pay for state employees as examples of his pro-worker accomplishments.
Flashback: Some Maryland insiders said Moore's labor conflicts partly trace to the 2022 Democratic primary, when most state unions endorsed Tom Perez over Moore.
Perez was the U.S. labor secretary under President Obama.
Some bad blood remains on both sides, the insiders said. But Moore has improved his relationships with some of the unions that backed Perez since then, such as SEIU Local 500.