For Labor Day, we check claims about jobs and wages

Labor Day weekend is known for barbecues, the kickoff of the college football season and, sometimes, labor.

We’ve recently checked several claims about jobs and labor:

We checked a claim by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich about the disparity between worker pay and corporate profits. In a PBS column, he said, “Labor Day is traditionally a time for picnics and parades. But this year is no picnic for American workers, and a protest march would be more appropriate than a parade.”

He went on to say that the ratio of corporate profits to wages “is now higher than at any time since just before the Great Depression.” We checked the stats and rated it True.

And even before sobering news about the lack of job growth in August, PolitiFact Texas checked a claim by Sen. John Cornyn that the Congressional Budget Office predicts 8 percent unemployment until 2014. We found that was an accurate description of what a CBO report said and rated it True.

As Democrats attack Texas Gov. Rick Perry, they’ve often been taking aim at his record on jobs. Although there have been considerable job gains under his watch, Democrats say the jobs are low-paying. PolitiFact Texas checked an attack by Democratic state Rep. Mike Villarreal that the share of minimum wage jobs has doubled under Perry.

PolitiFact Texas found Villarreal’s statement was a stretch and rated it Half True.

We also checked a claim by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, who said in a floor speech that eight million jobs were lost during the eight years of the Bush administration. We found Reid was way off with that claim and rated it Pants on Fire.