Just Politics

[jbsliverer]

Republican/trump labor and wages

Florida workers brace for summer with no protections: ‘My body would tremble’
Effects of heat are expected to worsen after bill prohibiting municipalities from enacting shade and water protection is passed
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/04/florida-worker-heat-water-protection

The effects of extreme heat on workers are only expected to worsen due to the climate crisis. Many parts of Florida experienced record heat last year. Orlando hit 100F (37.7C) in August breaking a record set in 1938. The National Weather Service recently issued its outlook for summer 2024, predicting Florida summer temperatures will be warmer than normal.

“The heat can be very intense, especially as we get closer to summer,” added Torres. “What we want as workers who labor outdoors is to have water, shade and rest breaks to protect ourselves.”

At the behest of agricultural industry lobbyists, DeSantis signed HB433 into law on 11 April, a bill scaling back child labor protections that also included an amendment prohibiting all local municipalities in Florida from enacting heat protections for workers.

The exemption came in response to efforts by farm workers in Miami-Dade county to pass heat protections, including proper rest breaks, access to water and shade, as increasingly warming temperatures have expanded the days farm workers are exposed to heat.

Ana Mejia, a farm worker, worked for 11 years at Costa Farms in south Florida where she said she experienced two serious heat stress incidents on the job. Costa Farms was included on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s Dirty Dozen report of unsafe employers in 2024. Costa Farms declined to comment.

https://www.producebluebook.com/2024/01/22/minimum-wages-blue-and-red/#

I’m particularly struck by the way the list breaks down. The states with high minimum wages are predominantly blue states, indicating they are governed by Democrats. Those with lower minimum wages are either red states (governed by Republicans) or swing states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin). Two are below the federal minimum: Georgia and Wyoming, both at $5.15.

There are 17 gop states suing the federal government over the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The act protects access to very basic things, among which are:

- bathroom breaks
- access to water
- being able to sit or stand as needed
- allowing for lactation

So let's be clear, in… pic.twitter.com/IYVmtbvDNT

— Miranda (@DoomScroling) May 2, 2024

During Trump's Presidency, US Job Growth Was Worst Since Hoover and the Great Depression
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-hoover-jobs-record/


Some things from trump's time in office;
-The economy lost 2.9 million jobs. The unemployment rate increased by 1.6 percentage points to 6.3%.
-The international trade deficit Trump promised to reduce went up. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services in 2020 was the highest since 2008 and increased 40.5% from 2016.
-The number of people lacking health insurance rose by 3 million.
-The federal debt held by the public went up, from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion.
-Handgun production rose 12.5% last year compared with 2016, setting a new record.
-The murder rate last year rose to the highest level since 1997.
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps-final-numbers/
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Democrat/President Biden labor and wages

The last unemployment figures was the longest low unemployment stretch for over 50 years.
Wages have consistently beaten inflation since last May after years of falling behind, boosting American workers’ standard of living.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/05/03/april-jobs-report/

United Auto Workers union endorses President Biden for reelection
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2024/01/24/united-auto-workers-endorse-president-biden

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-biden-labor-union-endorsements-donald-trump/

The crowd at the North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) conference booed at the sight of former President Donald Trump during an video before Mr. Biden's speech, with some chanting "lock him up!" before the president took the stage.

"Donald Trump is incapable of running anything," said NABTU president Sean McGarvey in the video, where the union announced its endorsement of Mr. Biden.

Nearly all the major labor unions have endorsed Mr. Biden. The board of the AFL-CIO, which represents 60 unions and has over 12 million members, was one of the first to endorse him in June last year, 17 months before the general election.

The states with high minimum wages are predominantly blue states, indicating they are governed by Democrats. Those with lower minimum wages are either red states (governed by Republicans) or swing states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin). Two are below the federal minimum: Georgia and Wyoming, both at $5.15.

President Biden Stands Up for Workers
https://cwa-union.org/news/president-biden-stands-workers-and-unions-during-his-state-union-address

Biden made history by being the first sitting president to stand on the picket line with striking workers during the auto worker strikes last year. Biden used the State of the Union to highlight his other accomplishments, including investing $40 billion in fiber optic infrastructure to ensure that every American has access to high-speed internet by 2030—and attaching labor standards to the funding to help create more good union jobs. He also touted his investments in domestic manufacturing and bringing more jobs back to the United States. He received a standing ovation when he said, “The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class!”

He called on lawmakers to pass the PRO Act and reaffirmed his commitment to building the middle class by making sure households earning more than $400,000 per year pay their fair share of taxes, while protecting hard-earned Social Security and Medicare benefits.

https://www.vox.com/politics/24094752/biden-trump-strong-economy-2024-inflation

Trump tariffs at best had a neutral effect on the economy and at worst cost America hundreds of thousands of jobs and higher prices for consumers. And his 2017 tax cuts, which increased investment in the economy and contributed to modest wage growth in the short term, fell far short of Republicans’ promise that they would pay for themselves and are projected to significantly raise federal debt and increase income inequality.

Biden also has a very successful legislative record, including the bipartisan infrastructure law and the CHIPS Act — laws that experts say can help bolster the economy. And he took steps to reduce pandemic-induced pressure on supply chains, making it easier for truck drivers to become licensed and allowing some major ports to operate nonstop.

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