How Our Nation’s Presidents Affect the Everyday American Employee

No matter which side of the aisle with which your philosophies align, it’s safe to assume the majority of Americans care deeply about fair employment practices. Most of us want reasonable employee rights to be protected, along with attractive laws for the companies who employ them. It shouldn’t be an employer or employee argument; we all should be rooting for both businesses and the workers who keep them in business, since this is the only way in which our citizens can feed their families and our economy can remain strong.

But, of course, politics does come into play when it comes to workforce regulations and employee rights. And the depth and breadth of rights, along with how they're enforced, can differ greatly simply due to who sits in the oval office. Here’s a quick look at some of the changes that presidential administrations have enacted and how they have impacted the everyday U.S. worker.

Protecting Wages

Going back a couple decades to the first Bush presidency, it seems many of the executive orders signed were done so in order to protect employee rights. One example was the Fair Labor Standards Amendments of 1989, signed into law by President H.W. Bush. The order authorized a training wage for teens at 85 percent of the minimum wage, allowable for six months; expansion of the small business exemption and raised tip credit; and exemption of remedial education programs from Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements provided by employers. All of these facets were intended to give U.S. workers fair consideration and ample wages, and was one of many historic orders undertaken by this presidency.

Putting Safeguards in Place

Fast-forward to a more recent time period, when President Obama was in office. The steps Obama took for employees were even more expansive than those taken by H.W. Bush, specifically targeted at removing forced arbitration for unpaid wage cases and harassment cases (among others) and giving citizen workers their right to a neutral judge and jury. By signing this Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order, it appears Obama sought to reduce discrimination and give employee rights back to those in the workforce.

Once President Trump took office in January of this year, he took swift action to reverse the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order. Critics were concerned that this would negatively impact paycheck transparency, as well as reinstate forced arbitration for sexual harassment or discrimination cases, resulting in a skewed and unfair advantage for businesses over employees. Many of Trump’s campaign promises centered on improving tax regulations and other business laws to help businesses thrive, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to supporters and opposition alike that he is seeming to side with businesses so far in his presidency.

Regulating Unions

Another aspect of how a sitting president can alter the climate and laws of the American workforce is in regards to labor unions. In 2001, President George W. Bush signed an executive order that required companies to post signs explaining allocation of funds, dues, membership and requirements of joining a union. The goal seemed to be empowering the worker and making sure unions and businesses were operating fairly and transparently.

Throughout history, each president of the U.S. has had a significant impact on the American economy — and consequently the global economy. Primarily through executive orders, along with other means, presidents have established laws and regulations about pay, work conditions, unions and much more. Many of these decisions seem to be politically, or at least ideologically, motivated but we can hope for a time when they are simply based on the best interests of the American people and the companies that employ them. There might always be some give-and-take, but at least we can all agree that we care about the longevity and success of our economy and our workforce.