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Biden to reinstate labor rule shelved by Reagan, giving construction workers a pay boost (www.usatoday.com)

submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave to c/news

91 comments fedilink hide all child comments

In a nod to labor unions, President Joe Biden is moving to boost wages for construction workers on projects paid for with federal funding, a step that would appeal to a key constituency ahead of next year’s presidential election and potentially shrink the pay gap between northern and southern states.

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[–] Mateoto 201 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Reagan had a profound impact on reshaping the American dream.

What was once a foundation built on the idea of upward mobility for the poor and middle class has undergone a substantial transformation since the 80s. The emergence of an unregulated capitalist model has led to a widening wealth gap, with the affluent growing even wealthier while the middle class gradually fades.

Addressing the impending challenges, such as climate change, technological innovations, and social shifts, necessitates a strategic focus on bolstering the working class and supporting unions. These pillars are vital in fortifying our response to the multifaceted challenges that lie ahead.

[–] ConditionOverload 134 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Trickle Down Economics and the "War on Drugs" make incredible lasting damage to this country. It's so unfortunate.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago

And of course my grandma always used to tell me how great he was. Granted, by the time he was president, grandpa was nearing retirement so neither of them really had to deal with his bullshit in the same way most working class Americans had to. She was a sweet lady, but damn were her politics bad XD

[–] FlyingSquid 33 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Imagine how many votes Biden would get if he just ended the fucking drug war...

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago

Quite a few, but Biden is never going to do that. He's been fairly pro-drug war his entire life. The best we can really hope for from him is pausing the drug war against cannabis. And even that might be stretching things.

[–] JJROKCZ 16 points 1 year ago

His son is a drug addict, he isn’t going to ever do anything that might appear to be in favor of drug use. He’s supported the war on drugs his entire career and isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

[–] AttackBunny 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don’t forget all the deregulation too.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@AttackBunny @ConditionOverload

Reagan and Thatcher were the worst thing to happen to the world at a time when we still had a fair chance at stopping climate change.

[–] AttackBunny 15 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I remember when I was younger and the hole in the ozone was a big deal. We did something. Same with then I was a young kid smog was so bad that we had “smog days” (similar to snow days) where we weren’t allowed to play outside, or have recess or lunch outside. CA did something about it. There used to be a chance, but now…..it’s hard to see anything under a hopeful lens.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

@AttackBunny

You and I must be a similar age because I remember the hole in the ozone as well. I also remember writing an essay in grade school about pollution levels (when the library was my only resource).

We had a chance and our gov'ts blew it. :/

[–] AttackBunny 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds like it.

Oh god. Remember microfiche catalogs? Searching for shit on those things was fun. No, not really. Funny enough, the industry I work in, occasionally I run into scans of microfiche slides. They are so bad.

I agree we had our chance. We also had a chance to make everyone’s lives better, and let greed control everything. Well, not we, as in you and me, but the collective we.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

@AttackBunny

I loved microfiche, mostly because my AuDHD brain adores rabbit holes. ;) It was not conducive to efficiency tho.

One thing that has always annoyed me is that the hippie generation (a few years older than I am) are the ones who now lead and control Western nations, and one would not be wrong in thinking they could (and should) have changed things for the better, but instead sold out to THE MAN they fought so hard against. :'(

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[–] DigitalTraveler42 20 points 1 year ago

Reagan had a profound impact on ~~reshaping~~ killing the American dream.

[–] Hazdaz 125 points 1 year ago (20 children)

The members of those same labor unions will "reward" Biden by voting for Trump. The number of workers in the trades who are blind MAGAts is astonishing.

This move will not change that.

And it doesn't help that Democrats will do nothing to sell this news to these people either. As always Democrats act like their accomplishments are like the 7 herbs and spices in the KFC recipe or the special formula for Coke... well hidden so no one finds out about it.

[–] FlyingSquid 61 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ok, but it's still a good thing, right?

[–] Hazdaz 80 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yes, but ADVERTISE it. Sell your accomplishments because lord knows, no one else will. The news media has been actively attacking stuff that Biden has done while giving Trump one free-pass after another. The news media is not on our side. So if they won't celebrate Democratic wins, Democrats need to, and turn it into a big deal.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (7 children)

IBEW Local 26 member here. Journeyman Electrical Foreman.

Most states with strong union participation are blue states. Many red states are against unions.

I get where you are coming from, but especially considering construction workers are 3% of the workforce in America, one can't expect my idiot coworkers to have much of an impact.

Also, Biden or Trump, I don't care. I don't trust any of these rich people in politics. They are all crooks, IMHO.

[–] PunnyName 27 points 1 year ago (4 children)

One party is banning books...

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Don't discount yourself or your coworkers - shifting the votes of 3% of Americans could have changed the election results of almost every presidential election since 1992 if they went from the winning candidate to the losing candidate.

The top dogs being crooks sucks, but shouldn't mean that the only acceptable response is political apathy - not doing anything is functionally equivalent to acceptance of the status quo.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago

Reagan tried to kill the Unions. After boasting about being head of Screen Actors Guild.

There's a difference.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago

They aren't all the same.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You should probably care regardless.

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[–] gardylou 24 points 1 year ago

I agree but don't blame dems that they can't penetrate the propaganda networks and social media spaces owned and dominated by right wingers--they are effectively closed loops at this point.

[–] echoplex21 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You'll see a lot of Republican lawmakers take credit for this as well. I like that Biden is putting up signs for areas where the Infra law passed and made a difference.

[–] Hazdaz 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

They did that with the infrastructure bill. Republicans were literally fighting it tooth-and-nail one day, and the very next day they were back in their home state taking credit for it. And this has been a common practice for them for decades now. And they always never get called-out on it by the media.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

It doesn't matter if it is a popular move. Only that it was the right move.

[–] TheHighRoad 5 points 1 year ago

It really sucks that Democratic policies tend to have a massive impact but take a long time to produce, while conservative policies have an equally huge impact but take no time to destroy everything.

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[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 year ago (5 children)

What's the over/under on how many of those construction workers will vote Republican in 2024 anyway? Somehow Democrats trying (often imperfectly) to help people gets them nothing but scorn, meanwhile a Republican platform that revolves entirely around taking things away from others is super popular with the blue collar crowd.

[–] [email protected] 72 points 1 year ago (2 children)

will vote Republican in 2024 anyway

That’s fine, I think they should be paid more, and unlike them my politics isn’t motivated primarily by ruining my political enemies

[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I 100% agree that giving them fair wages shouldn't buy their vote. I'm disheartened that they will never question their vote for the party who took them away in the 80s and will do it again if they can.

To clarify - I don't think self-interest should be the only deciding factor in a vote, but it should at least penetrate as a factor. Logically, some of these folks would go "wow, thanks Biden, maybe Dems aren't anti- middle class after all" - but in reality, I'm not holding my breath.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Yeah I mean my view is we’re gonna drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st century because we can’t let them drag us back to the 13th

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

It’s just an unfortunate state of affairs

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

When they get this pay boost, their employer and whatever state they're working in will take credit. Democrats are terrible and messaging to it's almost certain that no one will ever tell them that Biden did it.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not as bad as people think. There are large numbers of black and Latino construction workers who aren't on board with Republican politics at all. My union is nearly a third Latino and they tend to be some of the most involved in organizing and activism. Also worth saying that less than half of the white guys are conservatives.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Unfortunately, GOP has cornered the market on “manliness,” and I think construction workers want that more than money.

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