I. No Cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security Benefits

1. I. No Cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security Benefits

2. Child Poverty in the United States

3. American Healthcare Act (AHCA) • House of Representatives • American Health Care Act (AHCA) – passed in early May by a margin of 217-213. All Democrats and 20 Republicans opposed it. • Eliminates health care coverage for 23 million people • Ends Medicaid as an entitlement program • Gives hundreds of billions in tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy • Allows states to opt out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) protection

4. B) Senate • H.R. 1628 American Health Care Act of 2017 failed, by 51-49 votes, on July 28,2017. Every Democrat and three Republicans opposed. • “The ACA has helped many people in our state and across the country. There is no question about that.” – Senator Lisa Murkowski, November 21 2017

5. Economic Inequality • In 2015, the CEO-to-Worker pay ratio was 271:1 • The average S&P 500 Index CEO received $13.1 million in total compensation • The top 1% controlled 38.6% of US wealth in 2016 (CNN) - September 27, 2017

6. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H. R. 1 Signed into law by President Trump on December 22, 2017 House: 224 to 201, Republicans 224 in favor and 12 opposed and Democrats 0 in favor and 189 opposed Senate: 51 to 48, Democrats all opposed and Republicans all in favor

7. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H. R. 1 • "Any reductions we have in upper-income taxes will be offset by less deductions so that there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper class. When we work with Congress and go through this, it will be very clear: This is a middle-income tax cut.“ – Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, CNBC October 18 2017

8. How H.R. 1 impacts the middle class • Eliminates popular deductions including SALT, mortgage deductions in high cost areas • By 2027, 70 million households making less than $100,000 will pay higher taxes than under current law. • Taxpayers with income less than $25,000 will receive an average $60 tax cut, middle income taxpayers will receive $900, while the top 1% will receive $51,000.

9. How H.R. 1 impacts middle class • Of the Fortune 500 companies: • 46, or 1 out of 10, were offering any tax-cut-related benefits to employees • 17, or 3.4%, were providing permanent wage hikes; not to all workers but by raising their minimum wage • 29, or 5.8%, were giving one-time bonuses, typically $1,000 • Source: https://americansfortaxfairness.org/wp-content/uploads/Analysis-Major-Corporations-Getting-Huge-Trump-Tax-Cuts-Not-Very-Generous-To-Workers-FINAL.pdf

10. How H.R. 1 impacts the wealthy • "No, I don't benefit. I don't benefit. In fact, very very strongly, as you see, I think there's very little benefit for people of wealth." – President Donald Trump, CNBC September 27, 2017

11. How H.R. 1 impacts the wealthy • “I will eliminate the carried interest reduction.” – President Donald Trump • Source: “Trump vows to get rid of carried interest loophole,” Washington Post, Aug. 8, 2016 https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-vows-to-get-rid-of-carried-interest-loophole/2016/08/08/dc2ecba8-5d86-11e6-84c1-6d27287896b5_video.html

12. How H.R. 1 impacts the wealthy • Top rate for pass-through businesses cut from 39.6% to 29.6% • Tax rate for high income individuals cut from 39.6% to 37%

13. How H.R. 1 impacts the wealthy • Estate tax exemption doubled to estates worth over $22 million (only extremely rich heirs will benefit) • "I think not having the estate tax recognizes the people that are investing, as opposed to those that are just spending every darn penny they have, whether it’s on booze or women or movies.” – Senator Chuck Grassley to Des Moines Register, November 29 2017.

14. How H.R. 1 impacts corporations • Corporate tax rate cut from 35% to 21% • Corporate tax cut will cost $1.5 trillion • Repatriation holiday • Territorial system will further encourage outsourcing of manufacturing jobs.

15. How H.R. 1 impacts healthcare •  ”It is important to emphasize that eliminating this tax penalty does not take care away from anyone. ” – Senator Lisa Murkowski, November 21 2017

16. How H.R. 1 impacts healthcare • Repealing the ACA mandate will increase insurance premiums by 10% per year. • The number of people with health insurance would decrease by 4 million in 2019 and 13 million in 2027. • Source: https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/115th-congress-2017-2018/reports/53091-fshic.pdf

17. How H.R. 1 impacts the budget • The deficit would explode, increasing by $1.46 trillion (official conservative estimate) over the next decade, or an average of $150 billion per year. Models that assume modest economic growth estimate that it will add about $2 trillion to the national debt.

18. How H.R. 1 impacts the budget

19. Tell members of Congress to commit to not cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits!

20. II. Labor Rights

21. Since 1973, the profits generated from workers’ increasing productivity has gone into the pockets of the corporations and top 1%, not the workers who worked harder and smarter. Source: Economic Policy Institute

22. Union Density

23. Attacks on Workers • In one out of every three campaigns, employers fire pro-union workers • 9 in 10 employers require employees to attend mandatory captive-audience meetings • 3 out of every 4 employers utilize anti-union consultants in their campaigns • At least 1 billion spent by employers annually in opposition to organizing • (“UNDERMINING THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE: EMPLOYER BEHAVIOR DURING UNION REPRESENTATION CAMPAIGNS”, Report for American Rights at Work)

24. NLRB Under the Trump Administration • General Counsel: Peter B. Robb was sworn in as General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board on November 17, 2017 for a four year term.

25. NLRB Under the Trump Administration • Marvin Kaplan, who was sworn in on August 10 2017 • He was an attorney for the House Education and Workforce committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In that role, he drafted many anti-worker bills and led opposition against pro-worker measures. • William Emanuel was sworn in on September 28 2017. • He has exclusively represented employers, most recently at the notorious union-busting law firm, Littler Mendelson, where he also served as a shareholder. He has never represented a worker or union in an employment matter. • Nominated: John Ring was nominated to the NLRB on January 12, 2018. He was previously a partner at Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius.

26. NLRB Under the Trump Administration • Bargaining Units • Notifications • Joint employer • Honeywell

27. Trump and Republican-controlled Congress Reversing Obama Pro-worker Regulations • Fiduciary rule • Overtime • On May 18, 2016, President Obama updated overtime regulations for white collar workers, raising the threshold from $26,660 to $47,476. • Extends overtime eligibility to 4.9 million more working people and makes it harder for employers to deny overtime to another 7.6 million. • Silica and beryllium safety standards • Tips

28. Courts • President Trump has confirmed a record 23 judges in his first year as president. (Obama confirmed 3, GW Bush 6, Nixon and Kennedy 11 each) • 1 Supreme Court justice, 12 in circuit courts, and 10 in district courts • With three justices eighty and over, President Trump could have further opportunities to shape the Supreme Court.

29. Justice Neil Gorsuch • In April 2017, Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made historic change to the Senate Rules that prevented Democrats from filibustering his nomination. • We opposed Justice Gorsuch’s nomination because of his anti-worker record on the bench.

30. 115th Congress on Labor Rights • Organized labor has “sort of lost its reason for being” because of the many laws in place to protect workers - Virginia Foxx, Reuters December 5, 2016

31. 115th Congress on Labor Rights • Rollback of OSHA record keeping standards and labor protections for federal contractors • The Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act seeks to overturn a decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, 341 NLRB No. 138 (2004). • The bill passed the House on January 10, 2018, with 216 Republicans and 23 Democrats in favor, and 15 Republicans and 158 Democrats against.

32. Tell Congress • Pass the WAGE Act (S. 2143/H.R. 4548) • Oppose: • National Right to Work (H.R. 785/S. 545) • Workplace Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R. 2776) • Senate ONLY: Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act (S. 63)

33. Solutions Unions Promote Wealth Equality

34. III. NAFTA Renegotiation

35. Decline in U.S. Manufacturing • Lost jobs—The U.S. lost 5 million manufacturing jobs from 2000-14, 3.6 million due to trade agreements • 60,000 factories have been shut down since 2001 • Non-tariff barriers • Currency Manipulation • Source: http://www.epi.org/publication/currency-manipulation-and-the-896600-u-s-jobs-lost-due-to-the-u-s-japan-trade-deficit/

36. Tariff Rates

37. 20 U.S. Trade Agreements have been signed since the 1980s • GATT – General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade • Established in 1947 • WTO – World Trade Organization • Established in 1995 • 162 Countries have joined

38. NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement • Implemented in 1994 • Promises: • New jobs • Increased trade surplus with Mexico • Improved labor standards in the U.S. • Reality: • Over 871,000 jobs lost, $6.9 billion trade deficit with Mexico • Jobs outsourced to Mexico where workers make less than $4 an hour • Attacks on workers

39. NAFTA EXPERIENCE OVER 25 YEARS • MEXICO POLICY SURPRESSING WAGES • Repression of labor rights suppresses ability of workers to seek wages increases. • Authoritarian type labor structure. • Gov’t aligned union (CTM). • Thousands of bogus “protection agreements” often signed before workers in place. • Stacked labor boards. • Recent Constitutional reforms, but very uncertain impact & implementation. • VERY LOW WAGES FOR MX WORKERS • Average hourly wage in Mexican auto industry $3 • Between 1994 and 2011, Mexican manufacturing wages declined by 20%, even as productivity grew by 80%. • MX hourly wages for auto workers less than one-seventh of US workers. • Auto parts even lower – some pay stubs show 85 cents hourly take home pay. • LOSS OF U.S. JOBS & WAGES • The US has lost about 5 million manufacturing jobs since 1993. • EPI estimated 851,000 US jobs lost due to NAFTA. • US Jobs in auto, computer and electronics hardest hit. • Two-tiered wage structure for US auto workers. • Real wages for US auto parts workers fell by nearly 14% 2003-2013. • Wage growth 17% worse in highly-exposed NAFTA industries. • RAPID GROWTH MX AUTO SECTOR • Mexico to become the fifth-largest auto maker in the world by 2020, building 5m cars a year. • Total US imports from MX are up 637% from 1993. • US goods trade deficit with Mexico was $63.2 billion in 2016 (vehicles were top import). • As US lost net 10 vehicle assembly plants over last 10 yrs, Mexico nearly doubled its number of plants. Prepared by the Office of Rep. Sander Levin 10/5/17

40. Mexico’s Auto Industry: Vehicles and Parts for Export Share of North American production growing: Mexico’s share of North American light vehicle production was 22% in 2017. That’s a 64% increase from a share of just over 13% in 2007. Analysts predict Mexico’s share will continue to grow. NAFTA renegotiations adds some uncertainty to continued investment in Mexico. Building cars and trucks for export: 80% of the vehicles made in Mexico are exported, most of those go to the United States. Low wage and weak unions: Mexican autoworkers’ wages are very low—typically around $3 per hour. Workers at auto suppliers make even less. Unions are weak and often controlled by the employer, not the workers. More auto parts workers in Mexico than the United States: There are 800,000 auto parts workers in Mexico. Auto parts suppliers moved to Mexico to take advantage of low wages, weak unions, and lax regulations or they followed their customers who were opening new plants in Mexico. There are 580,000 auto parts workers in the United States. 80% of Mexican made auto parts end up in U.S. made vehicles: A typical car assembled in the U.S. has $3,800 worth of parts from Mexico. Just one Lear campus has 3x times as many workers as all of the company’s U.S. and Canadian plants: Lear has 46,000 employees in Mexico. A single complex in Juarez City, Mexico—just across the border from El Paso, Texas--has 27,000 workers making electrical components, cutting leather and cutting and sewing fabric at 11 plants. That’s almost three times the 9,900 workers at all of Lear’s plants in the United States and Canada. Delphi closes U.S. factories and moves to Mexico: In 2004, there were over 25,000 UAW members working at Delphi. During its 2005 bankruptcy, the company closed 70 plants and got rid of all its UAW represented workers. Today, 95% of Delphi’s 166,000 employees are in low cost countries or regions like Mexico, Eastern Europe, China and South America. Delphi has over 60,000 employees in Mexico.

41. Foreign Direct Investment in Mexico

42. NAFTA Renegotiation • 7th round in Mexico this month • Process for withdrawal

43. Tell Congress • Demand renegotiating NAFTA to raise wages for workers in all three countries and increase US jobs!

44. IV. Immigration

45. Myth:We have no idea who is coming into our country as a refugee. Fact: The screening done for our refugee resettlement program is extremely rigorous. On average, candidates wait nearly two years for approval of their applications to enter through our humanitarian programs . It would be a clear violation of U.S. and international law to deny people safe harbor based on their religion they practice or the country of their birth. • Source: http://www.state.gov/j/prm/ra/admissions/

46. Myth:Immigrants make our communities less safe. Fact: Studies consistently show that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than our general population . Attempts to label entire groups of immigrants as “criminals” or “terrorists” are patently false, and run counter to our core values as a nation. • Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mythical-connection-between-immigrants-and-crime-1436916798

47. Myth:Our country is being overrun by undocumented immigrants. Fact: The number of undocumented immigrants in our country peaked in 2007, and has been decreasing steadily since then. Source: http://www.pewhispanic.org/2016/04/19/statistical-portrait-of-the-foreign-born-population-in-the-united-states-key-charts/#2013-fb-unauthorized-line

48. Myth:Creating a pathway to citizenship will take jobs from U.S. workers. Fact: Increasing rights and protections for our most vulnerable workers will help lift standards and wages for our entire workforce. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that comprehensive immigration reform would substantially strengthen our economy, increase employment levels and ultimately result in a raise for all working people in our country. Source: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/44346

49. Myth:Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and they drain our social services. Fact: All undocumented immigrants pay sales taxes that stimulate our state and local budgets, and many pay federal taxes as well. However, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for most public welfare benefits, so they contribute more to our public budgets than they receive, creating a positive net fiscal impact. Source: http://www.itep.org/immigration/

50. Trump Administration Immigration Policies • Muslim ban • TPS (Temporary Protective Status) • Enforcement • Terminating DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)