Trump Says He's Aiming to Shield Corporations From Legal Liability for Workers Who Contract Covid-19

[Mr. Sparkle]

President Donald Trump said during a press briefing Monday evening that his administration is aiming to shield corporations from legal responsibility for workers who contract the novel coronavirus on the job, a move that the Chamber of Commerce and right-wing advocacy groups are aggressively lobbying for as the White House pushes to reopen the U.S. economy against the warnings of public health experts. "We are trying to take liability away from these companies," Trump said in response to a reporter's question on the subject. "We just don't want that because we want the companies to open and to open strong. But I'll get you a legal opinion on that."

The president claimed that his administration had not previously discussed the issue of corporate liability, but the New York Times reported that business executives raised the matter with Trump in a conference call last week. An "issue of great concern to the executives on the call," according to the Times, "was the need to address the liability companies could face if employees got sick after returning to work, given the possibility that workers who felt that they were brought back too soon—or were not placed in a safe environment—could sue en masse."

Additionally, the Washington Post reported earlier this month that Trump administration officials discussed including in the next stimulus package "a waiver that would clear businesses of liability from employees who contract the coronavirus on the job."

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/21/trump-says-hes-aiming-shield-corporations-legal-liability-workers-who-contract-covid

[Newest Reality]

1. Of course...

Of course, he is looking out for his people.

So says the mobster who bandied about the idea of suing everyone to make a lot of money.

So says the guy who has had hundreds of suits filed against him since he is so corrupt.

Oh, and that guy who stiffs everyone and anyone, including municipalities that provided security for his campaigns.

Yeah, that guy.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. "The message from OSHA to employers and their workers is: You're on your own."

During these dark times -- while America's workers are literally being asked to risk their lives to save the county -- the collapse of #OSHA -- the only agency able to protect workers -- will go down in history as one of the greatest failures of our time.

Link to tweet

“The message from OSHA to employers and their workers is: You’re on your own,” said
@DebbieBerkowitz
, a former OSHA official and now program director of the National Employment Law Project.

Link to tweet

[ck4829]

8. Chilling

[Ohiogal]

3. So this

is what this evil fucker concerns himself with when over 40,000 Americans are dead due to his negligence and incompetence.

I can’t even come up with words for how this makes me feel.

[global1]

4. Like The Wild West.....

It's gonna be 'every man for himself''. Let the buyer beware.

The wheels of the bus have come off.

Can't wait until there's a new sheriff in town.

[ck4829]

7. Yep

[ck4829]

5. Disgusting

[beachbumbob]

6. he can't usurp state laws or civil lawsuits

sorry,

[Solomon]

12. That's what I'm thinking.

He doesn't have the power to do this. Seems to me it has to be legislated.

[RobinA]

22. Most Employment Law

is federal.

[beachbumbob]

27. general liabilty law is state, feds can't usurp state law

[Voltaire2]

9. what the everloathing fork is wrong with that asshat?

[BeyondGeography]

10. A prerequisite for the re-opening rush job

[KY_EnviroGuy]

11. It's no longer America the Beautiful, it's now America the Quarterly Report.

GOP trying to rip another page from our Constitution......

They've always loved placing unconstitutional shit in spending bills just because they can.

Oh, and any legal opinion from this administration isn't worth the electrons it takes to Tweet it.

[Mike 03]

13. We can't let this happen.

This is one of the only tools I can see to prevent gross irresponsibility.

Also, governors who "force" townships and cities to relinquish safety protocols (i.e. Kemp in Georgia), leading to the infection of citizens who felt it was unsafe to return to work, should be civilly liable.

Any politicians that don't follow the guidelines put down by the Trump administration itself (14 days declining numbers, etc.) should be liable for consequences, period (not just fatalities but also hospital bills).

[Initech]

14. Forget the Hitler comparisons, Trump is going full Stalin on us.

Sacrificing people for the greater good of the economy is doing exactly that. They are determined to get us killed.

[genxlib]

15. The devil is in the details

This is dangerous but necessary. Regardless of when we come out of this (next week, next month or next year), there will be some level of risk to employers. If done properly, it will define that level of risk and make it enforcable.

In the case of OSHA, there are defined work environment safety rules. Even if all the rules are followed, people can still get hurt. But following the rules is generally the difference between an unfortunate accident and a negligent injury.

This has the potential to set those kinds of ground rules if applied properly. If a workplace does everything within a given set of guidelines, they should be afforded some protection against liability. If they don't, then they should be held accountable.

On the other hand, if this just gives blanket immunity without guidelines, then it will be a license to abuse workers.

Unfortunately, with this current leadership it will likely be the the latter and not the former.

[spanone]

16. ALL for his re-election.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. Hey, you blue collar workers who vote for Republicans, do you see the

difference now?

Democrats fight for your rights as a worker. Republicans fight to weaken your rights by protecting your bosses from YOU.

[Doodley]

18. I wish somebody would save our nation.

[KPN]

20. Where's Batman when you need him?

Yeah, I wish someone would too.

[Autumn]

19. We have no one looking out for the American worker. As far as they are concerned workers

are disposable and mean nothing.

[procon]

21. Translation: companies do not want to waste money

on employee safety. If companies get a free pass on this then employees won't have any PPE a work, the CDC guidelines will be ignored, no sick leave, no testing, no screening incoming workers for temps and symptoms, mandatory work even for sick workers.

Make no mistake, this is all about company profits. If these greedy bastards can legally not follow safety protocols they safeguard their money at the expense of sick, or dead workers.

That irresponsible behavior also endangers their customers, and spreads the contamination everywhere. So the company gets a profit boost and the taxpayers will end up paying the hospital costs of treating the corona virus patients that were infected at their businesses or through contact with other people who went there.

It's a great corporate welfare scam if they can pull it off.

[KPN]

23. It can't get any clearer than that folks. It's not that they don't care about "the little people".

They see them as disposable, consumable resources at best. Let me repeat that: consumable resources AT BEST.

Worse: they see a benefit in the COVID pandemic. It rids the world of some of the "deadbeats", some of the "worthless" people -- the lazy, the colored, the poor, the "criminals", the poor and elderly "dependent on government handouts."

At Worst: the tRump response to COVID-19 is their actual game-plan; "thin the herd".

Is this being paranoid?

[Politicub]

24. I don't think he can do this unilaterally. It will take an act of law.

Otherwise, the republicans wouldn't be squawking about tort reform each election cycle.

I hope the democrats hold strong on not allowing the waiver to be put in place. Otherwise, what would stop corporations from hiring people, not protecting them, and letting them die?

[cayugafalls]

25. Come on, did you expect anything else? I mean this is Dump we are talking about.

Corporate America, not We the people.

The end game can not be any clearer. Corporations will win, we the people will suffer.

It is already happening. I just went and placed basically the same order for groceries I did 2 weeks ago and it is 15-20% higher in cost already. I don't see it getting better, it is going to get worse. Meat is going to skyrocket with plant closures. Eggs and Milk are going to double or triple in price due to spillage. Essentials are going to increase due to shortages.

Prices will not go back down again. They never go back down once corporations have a reason to increase prices. NEVER.

We have to go back to work to pay for groceries. $1200 dollars does not last 10 weeks.

I could go on, but this is just depressing. I really hope I am wrong on this, but my order this morning kind of shocked me.

Going to go watch some funny cat videos...

[not_the_one]

26. uh huh. very smart.

Corporations require people to work or lose their jobs.

Worker becomes a carrier, and infects a family member, because corporation forced them to work.

Family member dies.

Worker has no recourse.

Worker owns a firearm and knows where CEO, or at least the immediate supervisor, lives.

What could possibly go wrong?

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are getting so close to the ACTUAL excrement hitting the rotating air movement device... Once it starts, all bets are off.

The walking infected, and their dying loved ones, have absolutely nothing to lose.

November 3rd needs to get here ASAP, before the lid blows.

The democrats just need to keep the lid on long enough to have a valid and FAIR election.

THAT may be impossible.