Royal Dutch Shell petrochemical plant workers in Beaver County, Pennsylvania were given a choice Tuesday, August 13. They could either join into a giant hall to listen to President Donald Trump's speech or take the day off without pay.
“Your attendance is not mandatory,” as stated from a memo that Shell sent to union leaders a day ahead of the visit to the $6 billion construction site. However, it turned out that only those workers willing to show up at 7 a.m. and have their ID cards scanned would be paid.
"It was understood some would choose not to attend the presidential visit and were given the option to take paid time off (PTO) instead. As with any workweek, if someone chooses to take PTO, they are not eligible to receive maximum overtime," Smith, the spokesman for Shell, told CNN.
Although the president's speech was not an official reelection rally, Trump told those who attended that they should consider dumping their union leaders if they didn't support him.
"I'm going to speak to some of your union leaders to say, 'I hope you're going to support Trump.' Okay?" Trump said. "And if they don't, vote them the hell out of office because they're not doing their job. It's true. It's true. Vote them out of office."