Workers continue to face hazardous conditions on the job and encounter challenges in safeguarding workplace safety, but labor threats extend beyond problematic employers. Federally, the far-right’s Project 2025 aims to undermine unions, dismiss federal employees, and reduce the authority of agencies like the National Labor Relations Board. The Heritage Foundation’s extensive action plan for a potential future Republican administration involves contributions from various conservative think tanks and former members of the Trump administration.
James Goodwin, policy director at the Center for Progressive Reform, has meticulously examined the plan to understand its implications for workers. In a discussion with Maximillian Alvarez, editor in chief of The Real News Network, he elaborated on these findings.
According to Goodwin, if Project 2025 were implemented, there would be no place for unions, particularly highlighting increased oversight and stricter regulation of unions while deregulating employers. The plan combines traditional conservative labor policies, such as opposition to unions, with a Christian view that excludes unions from its vision.
The initiative also poses a paradox concerning the balance of power between the federal executive and states’ rights. Goodwin pointed out that although Republicans often advocate for states’ rights, the plan centralizes power in the presidency, which complicates the notion of returning power to the public.
Key to the project is a proposal known as Section F, aimed at transforming government employees with civil-service protections into at-will employees. This action, according to Goodwin, would dismantle the administrative state characterized by professional, nonpartisan expertise, reverting to a system rife with potential for corruption and incompetence.
Project 2025’s agenda also targets the NLRB by proposing structural changes that would increase presidential control over independent agencies. This reflects a broader strategy to diminish the independence of such entities by making it easier for the president to remove officials.
Furthermore, Goodwin notes the apparent contradiction in the plan, as it involves prominent right-wing contributors united in a single document. Despite the Republican presidential candidate’s distancing from Project 2025, substantial involvement from former Trump officials suggests a significant connection.
Goodwin imagines a bleak future under Project 2025 for workers seeking to organize, with reduced rights to overtime pay and a greater concentration of industry power. He describes anticipated societal divisions as part of an authoritarian strategy to consolidate power.
Finally, Goodwin discusses the project’s alignment with corporate interests, suggesting that while businesses might favor tax cuts and deregulation, they could be uneasy with the authoritarian elements, such as restrictive measures on immigration, due to their reliance on undocumented labor. This complex relationship aims to make businesses accept authoritarian policies in exchange for economic benefits.
