The National AFL-CIO released the following statement after the Trump Administration released the August Jobs Report:

The Labor Movement has been warning that the Trump Administration’s policies are bad for Working Families and today’s jobs report shows those policies continue to weigh down the job market. 

Job creation has slowed, and there have been tens of thousands of jobs lost in construction, mining, Professional Sectors and the Federal Government.

Manufacturing was down by more than 30,000 jobs last month - and more than 75,000 jobs so far this year - while the Trump Administration continues to actively fire more Workers by stopping work on key infrastructure projects like Revolution Wind.

Were it not for health care, there would be overall negative growth since June.

This is particularly concerning, given that the Trump Administration and Congressional Republican Leaders have passed a law that will rip away health care from 17 million people and cut more than half a million care jobs.

Unemployment is up to 4.3%, the highest since October 2021.

The number of the long-term unemployed is at a level not seen since the pandemic.

Combined data on job openings this week, we can see there are now more unemployed people than jobs available.

Black unemployment is rising faster than for any other group and is once again disproportionately higher than the overall rate at 7.5% - with 6.7% Black Women and 7.1% for Black Men, another number not seen since the pandemic.

If the adage holds that “Black workers are the first fired and last hired,” and are the proverbial “canaries in the coal mine,” these numbers are an ominous sign of where the economy may be headed. 

At times like these, collective bargaining and Union contracts are more important than ever.

Collective bargaining protects Workers during layoffs, provides access to continuing health coverage if they do lose their jobs, raises wages and becomes an organizing tool by which we can fight injustice overall.

While the Trump Administration busts Federal Worker Unions and stalls the functioning of the National Labor Relations Board in order to steal legal recourse for Workers who face Union-Busting, the Labor Movement will continue to fight for every Worker to have the freedom, fairness and security they deserve.

To Directly Access This Labor News Report, Go To: AFL-CIO on August Jobs Report | AFL-CIO