History was made in Washington, DC today!
US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order that will STOP outsourcing of US government jobs to foreign workers. He also fired an executive that has recently been trying to send hundreds of employees of the Tennessee Valley Authority to the unemployment lines.
“So, let this serve as a warning to any federally appointed board. If you betray American workers, then you will hear two simple words ‘you’re fired. You’re fired.”
The scene at the Cabinet Room of the White House Monday morning was a huge victory for US Techworkers Founder Kevin Lynn, who had been working with IT workers at the TVA to fight for their jobs. The TVA sent notices to hundreds in June, saying their time at the company was over … And, to add insult to injury, they were expected to train their foreign replacements on their way out. (Sounds familiar, right?)
What eventually moved Trump to act was a television ad Kevin placed on Fox News during prime time (see below). Trump viewed it and became lived after seeing TVA CEO Jeff Lyash’s $8 million salary. Trump became even more incensed when he heard that hundreds were going to lose their jobs – through no fault of their own – during the Covid 19 pandemic.
“If the TVA does not move swiftly to reverse their decision to rehire their workers then more board members will be removed”, Trump said.
Many of you have already met Kevin. He attended our Hartford rally in January of 2019 and has been a big supporter of our group ever since.
Kevin attended the signing of the Executive Order with some of the TVA workers who, up until today, thought they were going to be jobless. They thanked the President for having the courage to act in favor of American workers.
“I’m shaking right now,” said one worker, who mentioned that his wife was pregnant. “I really appreciate this!”
The TVA is a federally owned corporation created in 1933 to provide flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing and economic development to the Tennessee Valley, a region that was hard hit by the Great Depression. The region covers most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky as well as small sections of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.
The success of the TVA IT workers is mainly due to their decision to join together to fight. Sadly, many IT workers never fight back against being replaced with foreign workers. They take the severance package and walk into unemployment and uncertain future alone.
But the TVA workers had the courage to reach out and form a coalition. I spoke with Kevin and he said the workers did everything they could to bolster’s each other’s spirits during the fight.
“This was a true team effort,” Kevin said. “If each of these workers tried to fight this along, we’d see a lot of people filing for unemployment now.”
The victory proves the effectiveness of the US Techworkers organization – and their ability to deliver victories for workers.
If you are an American workers and you believe you will be replaced by a foreign worker, you should really reach out to US Techworkers. Every call is confidential and all you need is the courage to speak up!!
Here is a full video of the event …