Blog Post

Did you know that we have power to make change in our own communities starting with our places of work?

On Tuesday, January 30, 2018, President Trump will deliver his second State of the Union address. Over the last year, Congressional Republicans and the President have repeatedly pushed an agenda that hugely benefits corporations and the richest 1% of Americans at the expense of working people and families.

One chief example of their efforts to put corporations before people like us is their rollback of policies that were put in place to protect us. This administration has launched an all-out assault against regulations that often aren’t even that controversial. They’ve rolled back regulations in “environmental protections, health care, financial services and other industries…”* These cuts have a real impact on people’s work lives and we deserve better from our government. (Here’s a full list of jobs that have actually become even more dangerous due to rollback of workplace safety and labor protections.)

These big changes are often snuck into large legislation or between larger executive orders, specifically to avoid attention or public scrutiny. But what can we do? It starts with making sure we have the right information and know what’s at stake.

Working America’s put together some valuable information about what our rights on the job are.

Whether it’s conflicts with your boss, problems with pay or scheduling, or dangerous conditions, you have a way to push back. President Trump and Republicans in Congress may be trying to take away our workplace rights, but if we all know what’s on the line and what rights we do have, we can stand together to create real power and make sure all of our politicians at every level are accountable to us.

Here are some ways you can get help on the job:

• Do you know performance reviews are linked to your advancement and professional development at work? Find out how to learn your workplace policy on reviews.
• Are you making what you feel you deserve at work or do your payments come up short? Here is how you can approach that issue.
• Or do you have a bad boss who doesn’t listen to you or treat you how you deserve to be treated? Learn how to deal with that here.
• Finally, benefits and safe working conditions are critical for the livelihood of you and your family. Learn how to use your benefits and create a more comfortable work environment.

Too many people don’t realize that we have the power to make our lives at work better. So go to get started in making sure you know all of your workplace rights today and create a safer, healthier workplace for you and your coworkers!

President Trump’s not likely to brag much about his assault on our workplace protections during the State of the Union, but the more informed we get, the stronger we can push back against further attacks.
 

*Source: NYTIMES.com