A lot of blue collar workers are worshiping at the feet of GOP candidate, and likely Republican nominee, Donald Trump. “He speaks his mind!” they say. “He’ll bring us jobs!” they claim.” He supports workers!” they declare.
Little do they know, Trump could give a rat’s ass about workers’ rights.
Union members, who vastly boast blue collars, should be running for the hills away from Trump and towards the eventual Democratic nominee, whether it be Hillary or Bernie. In an interview that was somehow missed by the media for the most part, Trump expressed his love for “right-to-work” (RTW) laws that allow workers at union-represented plants and companies to reap all of the benefits the union provides without paying the fees.
"I like it better because it is lower. You are not paying the big fees to the unions. The unions get big fees. A lot of people don't realize they have to pay a lot of fees. I am talking about the workers. They have to pay big fees to the union. I like it because it gives great flexibility to the people. It gives great flexibility to the companies."
Not only does this sentence read like one of a third-grader, but it is also revealing. Trump makes it seem as if the big, bad unions are making millions off of their members by gouging them of their hard-earned money.
But, alas, Trump remains delusional.
“I have a great relationships with unions,” he once told Newsweek.
Is that so? Because being pro-right to work means being anti-union. It means you’re fine with companies outsourcing their jobs to states where they can get away with lower wages.
(And we all know Trump is okay with outsourcing since his own campaign gear and products are all made in China.)
Workers in right-to-work states make 3.2 percent less than workers in non-right to work states. And their workplaces are also less safe.
So if Trump were actually pro-union and pro-worker, he would allow employees everywhere to organize, including his own companies.
Let’s take a look at his own Las Vegas hotel. Hundreds of housekeepers, cooks, and waiters have been attempting to organize a union for better wages, health care, and lunch breaks. But Trump continued to attempt to stomp out their efforts.
Luckily, it didn’t take. Earlier this year, a court ruled with the workers and the hotel must now recognize their right to form a union. But who knows how long it will take to actually get Trump to sit down and negotiate a fair contract.
In an even more disgusting and devilish, and almost inconceivable, display of worker abuse, we need to take a look at The Donald’s treatment of his “employees” in Dubai.
A recent episode of HBO’s VICE investigated the living conditions of workers building the Trump International Golf Club.
Migrant workers brought from countries such as India and Pakistan to build the resort live in absolute squalor. Packed inside labor camps and hauled up in decrepit buildings where a small kitchen is supposed to serve 150 people, they are treated like slaves. They’re forced to sleep more than 20 people to a room and their “bathroom” is located outside with basic sinks and wash areas where the smell of sewage wafts through the air.
And their working conditions are no better. Laboring all day outside in the dead heat of Dubai is apparently Trump’s idea of “workers’ rights.”
And their salary? A paltry $231 a month.
Getting to Dubai itself puts the workers in massive debt as they have to fork over hefty fees to purchase visas. Then once they arrive, they are stripped of their paperwork and passports with no way to return home, and they have to work for two years just to break even.
Although the resort is apparently being built by a company that is separate from Trump’s empire, HE is the one calling the shots. HE is the one hiring corrupt labor agents. He could easily put his foot down and choose to hire workers at a fair wage and not subject them to conditions that aren’t even fit for animals.
Instead, he chooses to be virtually a trafficker.
He is anti-worker in every way imaginable, both here in America and abroad, and he’s taking his supporters for a ride for the sake of his ego.
Do we want a president who values money over humanity? Do we want a president who doesn’t stand up for human rights?
Trump should not be labeled a presidential candidate. He should be labeled a criminal.
Endnote: No, I have no problem calling Donald Trump a trafficker or a criminal.