Updated

America's struggling labor unions are preparing to take advantage of President Obama's executive action on immigration by reportedly launching a new recruiting push aimed at soon-to-be newly legal workers.

So, how exactly does the president's plan benefit unions?

The Washington Examiner's Byron York appeared on "America's Newsroom" on Friday to explain, saying, "The unions would get the benefit in two ways. If a newly legalized immigrant would join unions, of course, they'd be paying dues. And, even though they can't vote – they're not citizens – they can provide some of the muscle -- the political muscles that unions flex – during campaigns. They can knock on doors, work in phone banks, do all sorts of things that unions do in every election cycle."

Co-host Eric Shawn then asked York if he believed that the president had intentions of helping labor unions when he issued the executive order.

Said York: "The president, I think, was looking for a way to strengthen union support, because, you have to remember, unions in the private sector have been just going downhill for decades and decades. At the moment 6.7 percent of the private sector workforce is unionized – an all-time low."