Dear friend,
President Donald Trump claims his administration's actions are raising pay for the working class, but in reality the administration has taken many actions to cut workers’ wages, including eliminating fundamental protections and organizing rights. Here are 5 numbers that show what the administration is up to this Labor Day.
81.8 percent: The number of federal workers who lost collective bargaining rights
The Trump administration ended collective bargaining rights for more than 1 million American workers, or nearly 1 in 15 workers nationwide covered by a union contract. According to Georgetown University labor historian Joseph McCartin, this order is "by far the largest single action of union-busting in American history."
$9,256: Cut to the annual federal contractor minimum wage
The Biden administration gave 327,300 workers on federal contracts a substantial boost by raising their minimum wage, but in March, the Trump administration repealed the regulation, reducing the allowable minimum wage on federal contracts from $17.75 per hour to $13.30—a cut of up to $9,256 per year for a full-time worker.
3.7 million: The number of domestic workers who could lose minimum wage and overtime protections
The Trump administration has proposed a rule that would get rid of federal minimum wage protections for upwards of 3.7 million workers that work in peoples' homes to provide care and assistance for children and to allow aging Americans and disabled people to live independently in their local communities.
212 days: How long the National Labor Relations Board has been without a quorum
The Trump administration has effectively shut down the NLRB by firing one of its members. This means the board is unable to make decisions to enforce labor law, leaving workers in the lurch as they await board decisions regarding their possible firing for organizing activity.
37,000: The number of manufacturing jobs lost since "Liberation Day"
While Trump claimed the biggest tariffs in nearly a century would bring back American manufacturing, the "Liberation Day" tariffs have had the opposite effect. In fact, the job creation numbers this month were so poor that Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, undermining the credibility of government data and risking significant long-run economic harm.
