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Ekhankasela isikhundla sikamongameli ngo-2016, uDonald Trump wathembisa ukuthi, uma ekhethwa, “izisebenzi zaseMelika ekugcineni zizoba nomongameli ozobavikela futhi abalwele.”
Ingabe usigcinile lesi sithembiso?
Uma kukhulunywa ngokuvikela impilo nokuphepha kwabasebenzi, ukuphatha kwakhe kube yinhlekelele. Lapho esesesikhundleni, uTrump wapakisha ubuholi bezinhlangano ezilawulayo zase-US ngabashisekeli bebhizinisi, okuholela emiphumeleni ebikezelwe. Bachithile umthetho we-Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) odinga abaqashi ukuthi bagcine amarekhodi anembile okulimala, bachitha umthetho othi osonkontileka bakahulumeni balandele imithetho yokuphepha neyomsebenzi, futhi bahoxisa inqubomgomo ye-OSHA evumela abasebenzi ukuthi babambe iqhaza ekuhlolweni kwe-OSHA. Ukwengeza, njengoba i-AFL-CIO yaphawula, abaphathi bakaTrump baqondise imithetho yokuphepha emsebenzini yamakhemikhali anobuthi, ukuhlolwa kwezimayini, kanye nokuvikela ukusetshenziswa kwezingane ukuze kubhujiswe. Kuphinde kwehlise kakhulu inani labahloli be-OSHA. Kusukela ngo-2019, bangama-875 kuphela abebesebenzisa imithetho yezempilo nezokuphepha ezweni lonke - izinga eliphansi kakhulu ekusebenzeni kwale nhlangano engxenyeni yekhulu leminyaka.
Ngaleso sikhathi, yize uTrump aziqhayisa ngoJuni 2019 ngokuthi amaholo abasebenzi baseMelika “akhuphuka ngesivinini emashumini amaningi eminyaka,” lesi simangalo asikude neqiniso. Eqinisweni, amaholo akhuphuka ngokushesha eminyakeni embalwa edlule, ngaphansi kukamanduleli wakhe. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukuhlolwa kwalokho osomnotho abakubiza ngokuthi “amaholo angempela”-amaholo axazululwa yi-inflation-kuveza ukuthi ahlala emile ngendlela emangalisayo ngesikhathi sikaTrump. Njengoba i-US Bureau of Labor Statistics yabika kamuva, isilinganiso “sangempela” semali esitholwa masonto onke sabasebenzi baseMelika sikhuphuke ngo-2019 ngengxenye eyodwa kweshumi yephesenti elilodwa.
Ukuwohloka kwamaholo enkathi kaTrump kunzima kakhulu kwinani elikhulu labasebenzi abahola kancane eMelika. Ngokocwaningo olwenziwe yiBrookings Institution oluvele ngasekupheleni kuka-2019, amaphesenti angama-44 abasebenzi baseMelika (abaseMelika abayizigidi ezingama-53) baqashwe emisebenzini ehola kancane ekhokha amaholo amaphakathi angama- $ 18,000 ngonyaka. Ababhali balo mbiko baphetha ngokuthi “cishe ingxenye yazo zonke izisebenzi ihola imali enganele, iyodwa, ukuze ithuthukise ukulondeka kwezomnotho.” Ngaphezu kwalokho, njengoba idatha eqoqwe yi-Bureau of Labor Statistics ibonisa, iphesenti labasebenzi abahola kancane likhule kakhulu. Ngokwemvelo, abaningi balaba basebenzi baphoqeleke, ngesidingo sezomnotho, ukuthi basebenze imisebenzi emibili-futhi kwesinye isikhathi emithathu― ukuze baphile.
Ukuphatha kukaTrump kunomthwalo wemfanelo omkhulu ngalokhu kuswelakala kwabasebenzi baseMelika. Iphikisana ngokungaguquguquki ukukhushulwa kweholo eliphansi le-federal elisezingeni lendlala elingu-$7.25 ngehora, elamiswa ngo-2009. Ngempela, uTrump uyaphikisana nokusungulwa kwanoma yibuphi ubuncane bomholo wombuso, futhi abalandeli bakhe be-GOP bavimbe ukukhushulwa kwamaholo okuncane okuphasiswe ngo-2019 yiNdlu elawulwa yiDemocratic Alliance. kusukela ethulwe eSenate. Ngaphezu kwalokho, abaphathi bakaTrump bamise ukukhushulwa kwamaholo okuhleliwe kwabasebenzi bakahulumeni futhi bachitha imithetho yokuphatha kuka-Obama eyenza izigidi zabantu baseMelika bafanelekele ukuthola inkokhelo yesikhathi esengeziwe ngomsebenzi wabo wesikhathi esengeziwe.
UTrump uphinde walwela izindlela zokuphuca abasebenzi baseMelika izinzuzo ezinkulu zezempilo nezempesheni abazixhase ngokukhokha intela. Nakuba, phakathi nomkhankaso wakhe ka-2015-16, uTrump wathembisa ukuthi ngeke anqamule i-Social Security, Medicare, kanye ne-Medicaid, uye wazama kaningi ukwenza kanjalo. NgoFebhuwari 8, 2020, waphinda wagcizelela ukuthi isabelomali sakhe esisha sombuso “ngeke sithinte i-Social Security noma iMedicare yakho.” Kodwa, ezinsukwini ezimbili kuphela kamuva, uTrump wembula isabelomali esifuna ukunqanyulwa kweMedicare ngesigamu sesigidigidi samadola, iMedicaid ngamaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingama-900, kanye Nezokuphepha Komphakathi ngamaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingama-24.
Isithombe nguJimmy Cuadra/Shutterstock.com
Abaphathi bakaTrump bebelokhu behlasela izinyunyana zabasebenzi, ezihlinzeka ngenhlangano enkulu evikela amalungelo abasebenzi baseMelika. Ngenxa yokuqokwa kukaTrump okumelene nabasebenzi kuBhodi Kazwelonke Yezobudlelwano Kwabasebenzi (i-NLRB), isikhungo esasungulwa ngeminyaka yawo-1930 ukuze siqinisekise ukuphathwa kahle kwabasebenzi nezinyunyana zabo, sekunzima kakhulu ukuthi izinyunyana zisebenze. I-NLRB ikhiphe izinqumo ezivimbela ukuthi abasebenzi bahlele futhi babhikishe kanjani futhi kuphi, izinhlangano zezingxoxo ze-gerrymandering ukuze kuzuze abaqashi, zivumele izinkampani ukuthi zixoshe abasebenzi ukuze ziziphindiselele ngomsebenzi wezinyunyana, kanye nokunciphisa ilungelo lokuteleka. Uma kubhekwa ukuchema kwe-NLRB kwezinkampani, ngisho nezinhlangano zabasebenzi ezikhona ― ezinjengezinyunyana ezinabasebenzi abangabafundi abaneziqu―manje zisongelwa ngokulahlekelwa amalungelo ezingxoxo ezihlangene.
Emashumini eminyaka amuva nje, njengoba ukuhlasela kwezinkampani okunganqamuki kuye kwakhubaza izinyunyana ezinkampanini ezizimele, amabhizinisi amakhulu, abacebile, kanye nabasekeli babo abaqotho ezikhundleni zikahulumeni baphendukele ekucekeleni phansi amandla aqhubeka ezinyunyana ezinkampani zikahulumeni. Ngokusebenzela ukufeza lo mgomo, bakhuthaze imithetho “yelungelo lokusebenza” ezingeni likahulumeni nelezwe lonke. Le mithetho, ngokususa isibopho sabasebenzi sokukhokhela ukumelwa kwezinyunyana abakutholayo, ikhuthaza ukuvela kwezigidi “zabagibeli bamahhala” futhi, ngalokho, ihlinzeka ngendlela ephumelelayo yokubukela phansi izinyunyana. Ngokushesha ngemva kokugcotshwa kukaTrump, i-House Republicans yethula uMthetho Kazwelonke Welungelo Lokusebenza futhi, phakathi nezinsuku ezimbalwa, i-White House yamemezela ukwesekwa kukamongameli omusha kwemithetho “yokusebenza”.
Nakuba amabutho aphikisana nenyunyana engakaze akwazi ukusunduza uMthetho Kazwelonke Welungelo Lokusebenza ngeCongress, athole ukunqoba okubalulekile. Ngemva kokuba balethe icala elithi "ilungelo lokusebenza emsebenzini" lika-Janus v. AFSCME ngaphambi kweNkantolo Ephakeme, uMnyango Wezobulungiswa ka-Trump wajoyina leli cala ngombhalo ophikisana nenyunyana. Khona-ke, ngenxa yokuqokwa kukaTrump kukaNeil Gorsuch, isazi sokucabanga esilungile, eNkantolo Ephakeme, inkantolo yakhipha isinqumo sika-5-4, yachitha isibonelo futhi yamemezela ukuthi abasebenzi bangenqaba ukukhokha izinkokhelo ezinhlanganweni zikahulumeni ezibamele.
Ngemva kwalesi sinqumo, izinyunyana zezinkampani zikahulumeni zisebenze ngokuzikhandla-futhi, ezimweni eziningi, ngempumelelo-ukuqinisekisa abasebenzi ukuthi bakhokhe ngokuzithandela. Kodwa ubulungu babo behla. Ngakho-ke, naphezu kocwaningo lwemibono olukhombisa ukuthi cishe ingxenye yabasebenzi baseMelika abangayinyunyana bafuna ukujoyina inyunyana, isinqumo sikaJanus kanye nezinye izindlela zokulwa nezabasebenzi zokuphatha kukaTrump kuhlangene ukuze kwehlise ubulungu bezinyunyana e-United States bufike ezingeni eliphansi kakhulu. Amaphesenti angu-10.3.
Njengoba umhleli we-New York Times ephetha, uTrump, njengomongameli, uthumele "umlayezo ocacile kubasebenzi baseMelika: Uwedwa."
UDkt. Lawrence Wittner, ohlanganiswe yi-PeaceVoice, unguSolwazi Wezomlando ophuma e-SUNY/Albany kanye nombhali we Ukubhekana neBhomu (I-Stanford University Press).