More news that the front page may miss.
Trump let Carrier outsource 1000 jobs and promised them big tax and regulatory benefits to save 1000 jobs. In an op-ed in today’s Washington Post, Bernie takes on Trump and the Carrier deal. Put bluntly, he rips Trump a new one by showing how Trump is enabling more off shoring/outsourcing of jobs. Bernie contrasts Trump’s tax giveaways and phony rhetoric with his own soon-to-be-introduced bill: the Outsourcing Prevention Act.
President-elect Donald Trump will reportedly announce a deal with United Technologies, the corporation that owns Carrier, that keeps less than 1,000 of the 2100 jobs in America that were previously scheduled to be transferred to Mexico. Let’s be clear: It is not good enough to save some of these jobs. Trump made a promise that he would save all of these jobs, and we cannot rest until an ironclad contract is signed to ensure that all of these workers are able to continue working in Indiana without having their pay or benefits slashed.
In exchange for allowing United Technologies to continue to offshore more than 1,000 jobs, Trump will reportedly give the company tax and regulatory favors that the corporation has sought.
[Trump had promised to impose taxes if jobs were shipped out, now he gives them a tax cut!]
In essence, United Technologies took Trump hostage and won. And that should send a shock wave of fear through all workers across the country.
Trump has endangered the jobs of workers who were previously safe in the United States. Why? Because he has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives.
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If United Technologies or any other company wants to keep outsourcing decent-paying American jobs, those companies must pay an outsourcing tax equal to the amount of money it expects to save by moving factories to Mexico or other low-wage countries. They should not receive federal contracts or other forms of corporate welfare. They must pay back all of the tax breaks and other corporate welfare they have received from the federal government. And they must not be allowed to reward their executives with stock options, bonuses or golden parachutes for outsourcing jobs to low-wage countries. I will soon be introducing the Outsourcing Prevention Act, which will address exactly that.
If Donald Trump won’t stand up for America’s working class, we must.
WaPo: Bernie Sanders: Carrier just showed corporations how to beat Donald Trump
This is where we must defeat Trump — as the so called champion of the working class. He’s not and never was.
Trump was weak. He was taken hostage and lost. A big loser.
There are those here who sneer at working people. They like to portray working class people as all white racist males, forgetting that the working class is a mosaic, a rainbow of all colors, creeds, genders, sexual orientations, etc. Their short-sighted way got us Trump. So we must and will defeat Trump regardless of the defeatist naysayers.
Update I: To add to my point about working people, including blue collar workers, being a rainbow:
Also promising: the formation of a Blue Collar Caucus in the House announced this week by Reps. Brendan Boyle, an Irish Catholic from Philadelphia, and Marc Veasey, an African American from Fort Worth.
E.J. Dionne, Jr., WaPo: Democrats, skip the civil war..
Discussing the aims of the caucus, Congressman Boyle said, “Too many Americans think the best days for their families are behind them. And they’ve lost faith in their elected leaders to stand up for their best interests, protect their rights, and promote their prosperity. We can and must do better.” Boyle continued, “The America I grew up in – and the one I still see today – is a forward-looking nation built by blue collar workers of all colors, crafts, and creeds. These workers literally built our nation. Now it is our duty in Washington to rebuild their trust in government by working for them.”
Congressman Veasey said, “Every hardworking American should have the economic security to provide for their families. Congress has the responsibility to enact policies that ensure an equal opportunity for all American workers to climb the ladder of success.” Veasey reflected, “Through my monthly ‘Marc Means Business’ initiative where I work alongside constituents in both large and small businesses, I’ve learned that Americans want real action to create jobs, raise wages, and ensure that they can improve the quality of life for their families and for future generations. Our caucus will focus on exactly that.”
Boyle and Veasey form “Blue Collar Caucus” in Congress