Workers’ Rights Deteriorate Under The Trump Administration

Although Donald Trump campaigned on the promise that he would champion workers’ rights, his administration has repeatedly chosen to protect employers over workers.

According to The NY Times, here are a few of the ways President Trump’s administration has made it more difficult for workers to protect themselves:

• They are trying to have the Supreme Court rule that employers can fire employees on the basis of sexual orientation undermining Title VII
• The number of OSHA workplace safety inspectors is the lowest ever
• The administration seeks to undermine state regulators in an effort to undermine workers’ collective bargaining powers
• No increase of the federal minimum wage
• The proposed federal salary threshold for expanded eligibility for overtime pay would only raised to $35,300 and would not account for inflation, whereas under Obama, it would have been raised to $47,500 if it wasn’t blocked by a judge.
• The Labor Department created a program in 2018 that would let employers report their own federal wage violations to avoid penalties. Essentially this allowed employers to take an interest free loan by not paying or underpaying workers and then simply paying them later.
• Transgender ban on military service
• The Supreme Court undermined public-sector unions by barring mandatory collection of fees from workers who do not join. Basically, employees who do not join the union will still benefit from it without paying into it. Overtime, unions will not have the funding to continue to provide such benefits.
• The Labor Department placed limits on workers ability to pursue claims against franchisers.

A large percentage of the American workforce will feel these restrictions in some form or other. If it has already affected you, consulting with an attorney is a great first step to learning about your rights and the strength of your case.