🚨🚨 The Facts: Project 2025's Attack on Workers and Unions A 🧵 One of the most overlooked parts of Project 2025 is its brutal attack on workers and unions, as well as steps that would open the door for far more discrimination in the workplace. 1/

In fact, the 37-page Section on the Department of Labor is so chock-full of gut-wrenching changes and open-ended repeals of laws that have protected workers for decades, it’s hard to know where to begin and where the damage would end. 2/

And that damage will take place in every corner of the nation. Yesterday, I wrote a thread on the section that opens the door to child labor on dangerous worksites. You can read more about that here: But there's so much more... 3/

Early on, Project 2025 asks Congress to consider making public unions illegal: “Congress should also consider whether public-sector unions are appropriate in the first place. The bipartisan consensus up until the middle of the 20th century held that these unions were not... 4/

...compatible with constitutional government. After more than half a century of experience with public-sector union frustrations of good government management, it is hard to avoid reaching the same conclusion.” (Page 82). Later, the plan ALL unions... 5/

"America’s one-size-fits-all approach [to unions that] undermines worker representation. Federal labor law offers no alternatives to labor unions whose politicking and adversarial approach appeals to few...”  (599) The plan therefore proposes “new options available to..." 5/

create non-union ‘employee involvement organizations’ as well as a mechanism for worker representation on corporate boards.” EIOs would “facilitate voluntary cooperation on critical issues like working conditions, benefits, and productivity.” 6/

“Voluntary cooperation”—as in, not collective bargaining. The plan then loosens prohibitions on employers cracking down on protected union organizing activity (600-601), eliminates the card-check option for union elections... 7/

...while expanding the opportunity for employers to decertify a union. (602-603) While acknowledging that there is disagreement on the issue, Project 2025 articulates the case that federal prevailing wage should be repealed. Prevailing wage requirements... 8/

“...redistribute[] wealth from hardworking Americans to those that benefit from government-funded construction projects. Repealing [the prevailing wage] would increase worker freedom and end a longstanding effective tax on American families.” (Pages 603-604) 9/

This section also proposes that the government “end all mandatory Project Labor Agreement requirements and base federal procurement decisions on the contractors that can deliver the best product at the lowest cost.” Finally, tucked away in the plan is this whopper: 10/

“legislation allowing waivers for states and local governments: To encourage experimentation and reform efforts at the state and local levels, Congress should pass legislation allowing waivers from federal labor laws like the NLRA and FLSA under certain conditions.” 11/

Allowing states to ignore these bedrock pro-worker laws and protections opens the door to just about anything, including averting minimum wage laws, overtime rules, and all aspects of collective bargaining. 12/

Speaking of overtime, the plan proposes sweeping change to workplace regulations it castigates as “woke”: “We must replace ‘woke’ nonsense with a healthy vision of the role of labor policy in our society, starting with the American family.” 13/

But its definition of “woke” includes pro-worker rules that have been in place for decades. Among these so-called "pro-family goals", Project 2025: - Overtime: @MediaMattersZA wrote multiple proposed changes "eviscerate overtime regulations and potentially withhold pay.” 14/

- Loosens the definition of independent contractors (vs. employees) and creates "a safe harbor from employer-employee status for companies that offer independent workers access to earned benefits” (590-591) Estimated cost to workers is more than $3 billion per year. 15/

- Weakens worker safety protections: “Congress (and DOL, in its enforcement discretion) should exempt small business, first-time, non-willful violators from fines issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.” (594) 16/

As part of its attack on “woke" and "DEI," Project 2025 would gut federal efforts to curb discrimination, and instead would create exceptions that allow discrimination: - Eliminates the collection of employment data on race and ethnicity, 17/

which the plan acknowledges allow suits for discrimination to be brought (page 583), along with weakening other processes and rules that ensure non-discrimination in the workplace. 18/

- Rescinds regulations that prohibit discrimination based upon “sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics” (page 584) 19/

- Calls for an executive order making clear “that religious employers are free to run their businesses according to their religious beliefs, general nondiscrimination laws notwithstanding.” (586) 20/

There's a lot more. It's all terrible. Check out the rest here: Then let's work as hard as we can to keep it all from happening. END

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