cybersteward.net

Let’s start with the good, because we need some encouragement in these trying times.

Yesterday, reports surfaced that Rep. Hilda Solis will be selected as the next Labor Secretary. The choice of Solis, an unapologetic labor advocate, sends an unmistakable message that the Obama administration will mean business when it comes to worker rights.

Then this morning President Bush announced the decision to provide over $17 billion of TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) money as emergency relief to GM and Chrysler. There had been talk that the Bush administration wanted to meddle with worker salaries or forced bankruptcy proceedings. Thankfully, neither of those options were in the package the president announced. Correction: as CtW Connect reports, there were worker salary demands included in the fine print of the Bush administration’s rescue package, but the UAW will hopefully have a chance to fix this particular flaw once the Obama administration takes over.

In the bad news file, the Bush administration altered regulations pertaining to farm workers. These proposed changes will depress the wages of farm laborers, a group of workers who already receive substandard wage and job protections. The only solution is for the incoming Obama administration to undo this harmful regulation change. To read more about it and to let President-elect Obama know this needs to be fixed, click here.

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