UAW-Represented Scientists Warped Reason to Protest President Trump

According to Cathy Ebben Eaton, a postdoctoral scholar and executive board member of UAW Local 5810 and Kathy Setian, former US Environmental Protection Agency project manager and a steward of Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, “Of the attacks on our civil society, the attacks on science pose perhaps the greatest existential threat.” And because of that, they protested President Trump. Below is the majority of their letter to the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Of all the attacks on our civil society, the attacks on science pose perhaps the greatest existential threat.

Because scientists produce the facts that expose the lies being purveyed, science is being targeted with vehemence.

Unionized scientists are well positioned to fight back against the false narratives being pushed by the Trump administration, and to advocate collectively for continued funding of crucial basic research.

For example, the Trump administration is proposing cuts of 31 percent in funding and 3,000 jobs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on top of less heralded budget cuts over the last three years.

As organized scientists, we are in solidarity with our union brothers and sisters who have lost jobs and real income over the past decades. We reject the myth that the environmental regulations kill jobs.

Scientists have long held the view that with enough data and evidence, we will be able to convince skeptics with facts that climate change is real, that humans are responsible, and that immediate action must be taken. It is increasingly clear that we have not convinced skeptics.

Together we will March for Science on April 22 in opposition to the damage that the Trump administration seeks to do to research, and in solidarity with scientists, researchers, and concerned citizens who remain resolved, undeterred, and organized in the face of these threats.

My summary of their article: Presidents Trump and Obama both called for budget cuts at the EPA. Unions did not protect workers from job loss under Presidents Obama, Bushes, Clinton, Reagan, Carter…. The public does not believe that climate change is real. Therefore, people should march in protest of President Trump. Huh?

Matt Austin owns Austin Legal, LLC, a boutique law firm based in Ohio that limits its representation to employers dealing with labor, employment, and OSHA matters. You can call Matt at (614) 285-5342 or email him at Matt@MattAustinLaborLaw.com.