Freelance journalist Rachel Cohen talked about her article that was published in the Washington Monthly about the labor consequences of a second term for President Trump on the Sept. 29 episode of America’s Work Force Union Podcast.
The President Trump NLRB
Cohen started by pointing out how President Trump convinced working people to vote for him and has since fallen through on the promises he made to them. After meeting with leaders at North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and the AFL-CIO committing to work with them, Trump appointed union busters and anti-union individuals to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and throughout his administration.
The Chamber of Commerce big-business wish list
Cohen then pointed out how the Trump administration was sure to address a 10-part, big-business wish list created by the Chamber of Commerce.
Included were methods to make it more difficult for workers to organize using company email systems, making it harder for workers to picket and other anti-worker measures. When the dist settled, the NLRB addressed every item on the wish list.
Federal workers under attack
She then addressed how federal workers have been treated under the Trump administration. She cited efforts to whittle down staff numbers by not filling vacancies. She also said the administration has demonized civil servants, casting them as members of the so-called “deep state.”
Similarly, Cohen said organizing efforts have been curbed by the administration. Under President Trump, union representatives have been blocked from entering workplaces. Additionally, collective bargaining rights have been shredded for hundreds of thousands of Pentagon employees.