JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Labor Day is all about celebrating the workers who have built up the foundations of our nation. However, many across the nation, in northeast Florida, and at the St. Johns Town Center made it clear on Monday morning that they feel the appreciation for the average worker has been lost and not made a priority by the Trump administration.
“This country would be terrible without them, and they’re not really valued,” Geanne Torbert said during a protest at the St. John’s Town Center on Monday morning.
One of the many complaints voiced by Monday’s protestors was regarding federal cuts in research funding. The Supreme Court voted on August 21st to allow $783 million in federal funding cuts from the National Institutes of Health, bringing President Donald Trump a legal victory for one of his initiatives to downsize federal spending.
“You get sick, how much money do you end up spending on your health care? Without research, our health care keeps going down,” Michael Finn of the Beaches Democratic Club argued Monday.
The Trump administration has enacted legislation cutting taxes on tips and overtime pay initiatives that many in the labor force support.
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However, the administration also recently fired the head of labor statistics right after publishing reports that showed a slowing economy and labor force.
Now, many are continuing the call for better representation of America’s working class within a Trump agenda they say leaves much to be desired.
“The way we respond is - A: being out here like today, stepping up, letting people see that we’re not happy about something. B: Making our voices heard by voting,” Finn explained. “You vote to tell the people that govern you what you want done for you and for all of us.”
The protesters Action News Jax heard from on this Labor Day promise to turn out in large numbers for the mid-term elections next year in their efforts to demand change for u-s workers.
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