Former Vice President Joe Biden urged displaced coal miners to take up coding and computer programming on Monday during a campaign swing through New Hampshire.
Biden, who recently claimed that blue-collar job losses should not stand in the way of a greener economy, made the comment while discussing his plans for expanding “jobs of the future” if elected in 2020. The former vice president, in particular, suggested retraining programs were the key for workers in industries hardest hit by globalization and increased environmental regulations, especially those in the coal mines of Appalachia.
“Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well,” Biden told an audience in Derry, New Hampshire. “Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God’s sake!”
NYC Construction Workers and Union Members Go Wild When Trump Makes Unexpected Visit En Route to Courthouse
A Nuclear Apocalypse Has Never Been This Fun: After the ‘Fallout’ Show, Here Are the Games to Play
Dems attack Johnson over impassioned Columbia speech condemning anti-Israel student activists
Trump slams ‘Bidenomics’ ahead of court, claims to have a ‘good chance’ of winning liberal state
‘You’ve Got to Be Kidding’: Upcoming O.J. Simpson Biopic Reaches New Low for Hollywood, Depicts Him as Innocent
Foreign Students Who Get Suspended for Anti-Israel Activities Could Face Even Tougher Punishment, DHS Confirms
Fauci to testify publicly before Congress for 1st time since retirement
US senators demand answers on closure plan for California women’s prison where inmates were sexually abused
Biden admin cracks down on power plants fueling nation’s grid
Supreme Court to hear arguments in Trump presidential immunity case
Biden sparks Christian group’s anger after making sign of the cross at abortion rally: ‘Disgusting insult’
Texas high school shooting leaves 18-year-old student dead, shot multiple times; suspect in custody
Secret Service agent on VP Harris’ detail removed from assignment after physical fight while on duty
Conn. Gov. Ned Lamont had thousands of trees, bushes ‘illegally’ cut behind $7.5M home
More people exposed to Manhattan Project chemicals deserve compensation, advocates say
The former vice president’s comments come only weeks after he pledged at the sixth Democrat primary debate to “sacrifice” economic growth and potentially “displace thousands or hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers” in the interests of a “greener economy.”
“The answer is yes because the opportunity for those workers to transition to high paying jobs is real,” Biden told the audience.
Regardless of the former vice president’s claim, job retraining and other transitionary programs for displaced workers have mostly failed to live up to their promise. Retraining programs are often a poor fit for blue-collar workers, an overwhelming majority of whom tend to be older and lack a college education, in terms of skill set and technological literacy. Even more troubling is that the jobs eligible for retraining often are either in short supply in areas hardest hit by globalization and automation, or pay significantly less than those initially displaced.
For instance, the average pay a coal miner can expect to make, under a contract negotiated by the United Mine Workers of America union, “comes out to at least $61,650 a year, and closer to $85,000 a year with overtime.” This does not include healthcare, pension, and other benefits usually offered by such jobs. Meanwhile, the jobs available after workforce retraining generally tend to be lower-paid hourly wage positions.
NYC Construction Workers and Union Members Go Wild When Trump Makes Unexpected Visit En Route to Courthouse
A Nuclear Apocalypse Has Never Been This Fun: After the ‘Fallout’ Show, Here Are the Games to Play
Dems attack Johnson over impassioned Columbia speech condemning anti-Israel student activists
Trump slams ‘Bidenomics’ ahead of court, claims to have a ‘good chance’ of winning liberal state
‘You’ve Got to Be Kidding’: Upcoming O.J. Simpson Biopic Reaches New Low for Hollywood, Depicts Him as Innocent
Foreign Students Who Get Suspended for Anti-Israel Activities Could Face Even Tougher Punishment, DHS Confirms
Fauci to testify publicly before Congress for 1st time since retirement
US senators demand answers on closure plan for California women’s prison where inmates were sexually abused
Biden admin cracks down on power plants fueling nation’s grid
Supreme Court to hear arguments in Trump presidential immunity case
Biden sparks Christian group’s anger after making sign of the cross at abortion rally: ‘Disgusting insult’
Texas high school shooting leaves 18-year-old student dead, shot multiple times; suspect in custody
Secret Service agent on VP Harris’ detail removed from assignment after physical fight while on duty
Conn. Gov. Ned Lamont had thousands of trees, bushes ‘illegally’ cut behind $7.5M home
More people exposed to Manhattan Project chemicals deserve compensation, advocates say
Biden, himself, should be aware of such circumstances. A study measuring the impact of retraining programs, both existing ones and those began under the Obama administration, found that while they helped enrollees find work faster, there was little proof such programs led individuals to jobs of equal or higher wage to those they lost.
Despite such evidence, Biden has not only continued touting the idea of job retraining, but has also promised to ban energy sources such as coal, fracking, and other fossil fuels if elected president—to the detriment of millions of workers in those fields.
Story cited here.
Scroll down to leave a comment:
