Jobs, Minimum Wage, and Unions
The industry is changing and so is the demand. We need to focus on the REAL unemployment rate and equip people with better job training. Employees shouldn't face immediate termination in the face of new technology but should be given a chance to learn how to operate it. I will also work hard to make it difficult for employers to terminate employees at certain times of the year and under certain conditions.
It has been proclaimed since before the pandemic that legislation like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created jobs and significantly reduced the unemployment rate. For the purposes of this section, I will now address the unemployment rate, its impact and what it meant for American jobs. The unemployment rate dropped because a former administration was aggressive about making tax deals that would benefit corporations in exchange for hiring more workers.
The hope was that if corporations were taxed less, they would have more incentive to hire more workers. The problem with this model is that it places a Band-Aid on a much bigger problem. The bigger problem is that we don’t focus enough attention on the REAL unemployment rate which includes millions of individuals who could be working but are not for various reasons. It doesn’t include people who have been discriminated against, ones who are in search of full-time work but can’t find it, discouraged workers, etc. The general unemployment rate only includes people that are able to work and are actively searching for a job. It is absolutely ludicrous to continue focusing on this number when it doesn’t reflect the true situation.
When we understand the REAL unemployment rate then we can begin putting together a plan that addresses the nation’s potential workforce in an efficient way; one that prepares a new generation of workers for an increasingly technologically advanced society. One of the things I promise to work with the President (whomever it may be) on is not only job creation, but new kind of jobs creation.
Which brings me to my next point: It should absolutely be against the law to immediately fire workers and leave them out in the cold solely because they are being replaced with new technology. Our workers who make up the middle class deserve better treatment. This is why upon my election to the U.S. Senate, I promise to work on legislation that protects workers whose companies think they can just replace workers with robots. I understand companies are trying to save money and reduce taxes, but I also understand pure greed. Automation isn’t necessarily the enemy, but greed is.
Our country is absolutely dependent on the middle class because these are the ones who download music, take temporary vacations, buy goods and services, etc. The development and maintenance of a large middle class is what sets America aside from many countries plagued by poverty.
I don’t have any interest in supporting or providing compassion to companies, especially foreign ones, that come to the United States, exploit its workers only to fire them and leave them destitute. If foreign companies and businesses can’t value our culture and traditions of civil rights, then they need to get the hell out of here and make-way for those who will! In America, we value our workers. We treat them with dignity and respect. They have freedoms and livelihoods that employers must take into consideration; and if they’re not going to do that willingly, then they will be forced to, which brings me to my next point in support of unions.
Unions
To give up on the American dream would be un-American. All workers have it. As a member of Congress, I promise to support unions because they make it easier to acquire the dream. Unions are in the fight of the century, and they are going to need someone strong and bold to lead them because the fight is about automation.
Employers across this country believe they are going to get rid of human workers. Not on my watch. It will not be easy under my term because every machine they intend to replace a worker with will now be met with a list of criteria to be met, along with a list of rules and regulations.
No other candidate has promised to do that. Now, it’s been estimated that up to 375 million people globally will need to find entirely new kinds of jobs by 2030 due to automation and being replaced by machines. Says who? Employers must be held accountable for keeping with automation so that workers can be prepared to take on new roles instead of being terminated.
Now, I will demand they get started on this right now because if they think they’re going to just kick employees to the curb they’ve got another thing coming. It was the labor movement and the working class that built this country. We must never forget. Non-union members just don’t understand, and many don’t appreciate they have a blood right that’s been bought and paid for by people who came long before them, decades ago, who fought with their blood, sweat, and tears for fairness and safety in the workplace.
They wanted to make sure that the supervisors, the managers, and the owners of companies didn’t get to choose how to boss workers around. American companies and industries should already know better than to mess with American workers and their pensions, but I’m afraid greed continues to stand in the way and must be continually subdued.
Nothing has changed as far as Americans working hard. What has changed is the diversity of the 1% rich rising to the occasion every time to take advantage of American workers, so they have to put up with things like low wages, working in hazardous conditions without hazardous pay, and less time to spend with family and friends.
Unions have attempted to do nothing more than to make a way for companies to make money and to be fair to their employees. I’m calling on all unions, especially those in Indiana to support my campaign. It’s time we work together and build fairer termination policies for all. I want to work with unions to create legislation that protects workers from being terminated at certain times of the year and those who are faced with certain life circumstances.
My stepfather was a proud union member. As a worker for United States Steel for over 20 years, I witnessed as a child how the union came to his aid when he had troubles along the way. I remember hearing about it at the dinner table. I want those who read this policy to know that, as a future member of the U.S. Senate, unions have a friend in me. I will be there with them from beginning to end in this fight against automation replacement every step of the way and together, we will win!
Quality of Jobs, Quality Pay and Paid Family and Medical Leave
Finally, I wish to address job-quality, quality of pay and paid family medical leave. The Brookings Institute, a non-partisan research foundation reported back in December 2019 that although America’s unemployment rate was at a half-century low, it had a job-quality problem affecting nearly half the population with a study finding that 44% of U.S. workers were employed in low-wage jobs.
This makes it impossible for Americans to get ahead and improve their quality of life as members of the middle class. We must work with companies and employers across the nation to produce legislation that institutes mandatory increases in pay. Our senators remain strongly opposed to minimum wage increases as they work to protect their friends on Wall Street. That’s easy for them to defend when their bringing in close to $200K a year as a member of Congress and millions in campaign contributions.
I am beyond fighting for a minimum wage, as I am a strong advocate for livable wages. I am a hard-working individual with 2+ jobs and I still sometimes can't get the things I want. Upon my election to Congress, trust, I understand the everyday struggles of hard-working Americans and what they go through just to put food on their tables.
Paid Family and Medical Leave. I am in full support of paid family and medical leave. People shouldn’t have to choose between their job, their health, and their families. I support paid family medical leave when individuals are able to meet the existing legal requirements for up to four months. This can be paid through payroll taxes funded by the employee and the employer. Additionally, I am in support of states who have already implemented their own paid family and medical leave programs.