While tweets distract, Trump administration dismantles vital protections

Since assuming power, the Trump administration has sent a barrage of messages on a regular basis through social media. Such communications, particularly tweets from President Donald Trump, have often included aggressive and even inflammatory rhetoric. Not surprisingly, such messaging has triggered widespread condemnation – even from some of President Trump’s supporters.

While many in the media and elsewhere have focused on these highly charged communications, the Trump administration has been busy obstructing implementation of or actually rolling back various types of workplace protections and civil rights. For example, the Trump administration has rescinded the rule that required employers to report their pay data. Such reporting has been essential to correcting the discriminatory way that some employers pay women and/or people of color. In addition, the Trump Administration has eliminated the guidance for identifying and combatting employee misclassification and joint employer abuses. The Trump administration has also delayed or ended workplace safety protections in some ways. Beyond the workplace – but with consequences for workplace fairness and safety – the Trump administration has withdrawn guidelines for addressing sexual assaults on school campuses as well as the accommodation of transgender students.

The evident agenda to thwart transparency and accountability should concern everyone who cares about the rule of law. That these efforts come from the highest levels means it is more important than ever for people who have experienced retaliation, discrimination, harassment, or another employment law or civil rights violations to step up and speak out. The team at Cummins & Cummins, LLP remains ready to assist in that regard.