Republican Governor Bill Lee received a backhanded slap from one state Rep. on X after he wished his fellow Tennesseans a “Blessed Labor Day” earlier Monday. In a post on X, he wrote “Happy Labor Day, Tennessee! Many thanks to the hardworking men & women across our state who keep our communities & economy thriving. @MariaLeeTN & I wish all Tennesseans a safe & blessed Labor Day.”
That led Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones to smack the governor with “Bro, sit this one out,” Raw Story reports.
Happy Labor Day, Tennessee!
Many thanks to the hardworking men & women across our state who keep our communities & economy thriving. @MariaLeeTN & I wish all Tennesseans a safe & blessed Labor Day. pic.twitter.com/ghHTYmiut5
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) September 2, 2024
Bro, sit this one out https://t.co/arOvqobiEM pic.twitter.com/usuQqw6baU
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) September 2, 2024
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And Jones is definitely a feisty one.
Jones and two other Democratic members staged a gun reform protest in the state’s capitol building, which led to attempts by state House Republicans who tried but were unable to expel him. It takes major cohones to do something like this, so I say more power to him.
The Washington Post used a photo of Lee for the story because he was one of the six governors warning “residents that joining the United Auto Workers would threaten jobs and ‘the values we live by.'”
Which is utterly hypocritical because unions help us to afford to live by those values.
But according to the Post, at least one “economist who has closely studied unionization in the South called the statement ‘unprecedented and shocking’ and said it discouraged workers from exercising their legal right to organize.”
However, as noted by The Economic Policy Institute, unions are one of the biggest reasons workers are able to thrive. We can thank Unions for weekends, fringe benefits, better wages, workplace protections, and a boatload of other advantages.
As you might expect, X users had some thoughts for Lee.
“Delete this post bro. You aren’t pro labor.
Delete this post bro. You aren’t pro labor.
— Meddelsome Madam Prosecutor 🗽⚖️ (@TideFanAtlanta) September 2, 2024
“The anti worker governor speaks… the anti union governor speaks…,” noted @TNLiLi.
The anti worker governor speaks… the anti union governor speaks…
— TN Li Li #WinForJoe 🇺🇦 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 (@TNLiLi) September 2, 2024
@madotu1 noted just how bad Project 2025 would be for workers.
Your Labor Day reminder that Project 2025 would essentially ban unions for public service workers (pg. 82), let bosses avoid overtime pay (pg. 592), make it easier for private companies to decertify unions (pg. 603) and allow states to opt out of federal labor laws (pg. 605).
— Proud Tennessean 🌊🌊🇺🇸 (@madotu1) September 2, 2024
One user also reminded us that Tennessee is a “right-to-work” state, which sounds great but isn’t.
I would never live in a "right to work" state. never. not on Labor Day or any other day
— 𝚐𝚎𝚝.𝚍𝚎𝚍 (@get_ded_) September 2, 2024
I think this post is the most apt one, however.
Ironic to wish people a happy holiday that was created by people unionizing while you actively try to keep people FROM unionizing.
— Brian Robertson (@robertson4tn) September 2, 2024
I love these Republicans (please note the sarcasm) who pretend they are for the people when they are actually for corporate profits. Lee has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He may not be Elon Musk, but he’s comfortable, unlike many workers in his state. Especially when at least 278,000 kids in Tennessee under age 18 lived in households with incomes below the official poverty level, as of September 2022, according to The Sycamore Institute.
And Jones is right. Considering how Lee is, he needs to sit this one out.
Featured image via the Political Tribune gallery.