Photo: COC/ FB

A recent poll found shocking levels of support(!) among business executives for progressive policies like raising the minimum wage and giving all employees steady, predictable schedules. Why does the Chamber of Commerce hate these policies, then?

[The answer: the United States of America is an oligarchy.]

Lydia DePillis reports today on a remarkable bit of polling and consulting work that was leaked to the Center for Media and Democracy. The polling was commissioned by an umbrella group of state Chambers of Commerce. Republican pollster Frank Luntz’s firm polled 1,000 U.S. business executives—most of whom were members of local Chambers of Commerce—on their attitudes about contentious workplace political issues. What they found may surprise you!

  • Increasing the minimum wage: 80% support, 8% oppose
  • Increasing maternity leave time: 72% support, 9% oppose
  • Increasing or mandating paternity leave: 82% support, 7% oppose
  • Increasing paid sick time: 73% support, 16% oppose
  • Ending “on-call” scheduling practices and giving workers sufficient advance notice about their schedules: 78% support, 11% oppose

“What do these results all have in common?” the pollster asks rhetorically in the leaked webinar. “They are all empathetic.” He then proceeds to offer tips as to “how to actually combat these in your states.” (In case you are curious: “If you are fighting those fights, the best way to fight it is to not talk about the minimum wage.”)

Here we have as clear an example as you can possibly get of America’s business lobby overriding the preferences of its own members in order to better stomp on the head of the working class, in search of greater profits. This is how it works, right here.

You can view the entire leaked webinar here, or you can watch the CMD’s short (punchy, partisan) edit below