President Biden touted his administration’s efforts to create union jobs as part of his Bidenomics agenda even as a series of strikes threaten to damage the U.S. economy.
Mr. Biden hailed labor unions during Thursday’s remarks at a shipyard in Philadelphia, where a new project promised to support hundreds of new union jobs.
“I made a commitment that I’d be the most pro-union president in history and I’m keeping that promise,” said Mr. Biden, who has made his union allegiance the cornerstone of his political persona. “I tell businesses all the time, union workers are the best in the world. They do the job right, they do it on time, and long-term, it costs less than non-union labor.”
Still, an onslaught of strikes and threatened strikes cast dark clouds over the economy.
Hollywood production is shut down as the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild are striking over demands for a bigger cut of streaming revenues and protections from artificial intelligence taking their jobs. The strike has halted TV and movie production with no sign of restarting anytime soon.
Roughly 34,000 UPS workers have also threatened to strike if a deal is not reached with the delivery company by July 31. Teamsters who represent the delivery drivers say the drivers need air conditioning in the vehicles and better pay for weekend shifts.
The UPS strike could have enormous consequences for the economy, making it harder to get goods in stores and deliver critical supplies such as medicine. Other delivery companies, including FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service, can’t fill the gap, potentially costing the economy billions of dollars.
Teamster President Sean O’Brien has asked Mr. Biden not to intervene if the workers strike.
United Auto Workers have begun contract talks with auto manufacturers and the union workers say a strike is likely. They want union protections at new battery plants for electric vehicles. The union contract expires before midnight on Sept. 14.
On Wednesday, Mr. Biden met with Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers union. The union’s leadership has asked to brief White House officials on their talks with the big three automakers — General Motors, Ford Motor Co., and Stellantis.
Both the Teamsters and the United Auto Workers endorsed
Mr. Biden in 2020, but they have not yet backed his 2024 reelection run.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this week that the president “workers have the right to strike, that they have the right to fair wages and fair benefits.”
But when asked if he would not intervene in the UPS strike, Ms. Jean-Pierre demurred saying the administration was confident both sides will reach an agreement.
Mr. Biden has spent much of the week trying to expand unionization into new sectors. On Monday, he talked with workers trying to unionize at Starbucks, minor league baseball, video game manufacturer Sega, and Blue Bird, a school bus builder.
The share of U.S. workers who belong to a union has fallen sharply since 1983 when roughly 20% of Americans were union members. In 2022, only 10% of workers were in a union, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Mr. Biden frequently points to his pro-union agenda as evidence that he backs middle-class Americans. He also has rewarded unions with laws that reward companies that employ union workers.
The climate, infrastructure, and semiconductor laws he signed all include provisions requiring the use of union labor.
“We’re making sure these jobs come free and fair and with the ability to join a union if you’re not already in a union,” Mr. Biden said.
The American Rescue Act, which Mr. Biden championed, included tens of billions for struggling union pension plans.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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