Posts tagged White House
White House braces for legal challenges over acting labor secretary’s authority
July 26, 2023 // “Congress has become relatively useless at reining in executive power,” Painter, now a University of Minnesota professor, said. “Democrats were furious about Trump raiding the defense budget without the permission of Congress. But then Biden did his $400 billion student loan deal, and Democrats didn’t say a word." "The parties just switch playbooks depending on whether their guy is in the White House or not," he added.
Reports: Auto workers union president meets with Biden amid contract negotiations
July 25, 2023 // The UAW’s current contract with the major Detroit auto makers has been in place four years and expires September 14. Last week, Fain said the UAW was prepared to strike against the auto makers if the companies don’t meet its demands. In June, UAW leaders said they want stronger job protections against plants closing, higher wages, an end to tiered wages that pay some employees less for doing the same job and cost-of-living increases. Fain has said he also wants wages at electric vehicle battery plants to exceed their current cap of $32 since more UAW members will be transitioned into EV factories as the industry moves away from gas-powered vehicles. The UAW negotiated with each of the Detroit-based auto makers separately over the past week, starting with Stellantis on Thursday and General Motors yesterday.
‘This is a problem’: Biden faces looming strikes that could rock economy
July 25, 2023 // Privately, some Democrats said the White House was caught off-guard by Fain’s ascension to the top of UAW. They described Biden’s team as currently being in an information-gathering mode about the union’s new leadership — a stark contrast from the close relationship it had enjoyed with former UAW president Ray Curry. Other Democrats said the White House was clearly aware of Fain’s criticism of how the Biden administration had doled out federal funds. But privately, some people in Biden’s orbit have continued to express worries that there’s distance between his agenda and a major union representing voters in a state key to his reelection. Biden’s senior staff has told allies “that the rhetoric from the new UAW leadership is concerning, this is a problem, and we’ve got to figure this out together,” according to a person familiar with the administration’s thinking.
Say No to Julie Su as Labor Secretary
July 25, 2023 // She also established a Criminal Investigation Unit, consisting of a specialized labor police force that would be deputized against businesses.
Op-ed: BIDEN’S NEW DEAL: GOVERNMENT STACKED FOR UNIONS
July 24, 2023 // With Democrats facing tough midterm elections, expect more union giveaways while still controlling Congress. Love it or hate it, the federal government is pushing its thumb firmly on the Union side of the scale.
How Biden plans to handle a series of possible labor strikes across the country
July 24, 2023 // Biden is not inserting himself directly in any of the negotiations, officials told NBC News, even though he met with the UAW president at the White House.
UPS strike: Organizations ask White House to intervene to prevent strike that could cost billions
July 21, 2023 // More than 250 organizations signed the letter to voice their worries about the likely strike. “Given the debilitating impact of a strike on American families and the economy, we urge your Administration to provide the support necessary to help the parties reach a new agreement by the August 1 deadline,” the letter read. It went on to note that the strike would harm the U.S., considering UPS moves $3.8 billion in goods per day, or about 20 million packages a day. If the strike lasted for 15 days, the American economy could lose $55.5 billion, according to one study cited in the letter. In only five days, the strike could cost $15.8 billion. Additionally, the delivery service’s competitors cannot pick up the slack if UPS loses more than half of its workforce in the case of a strike.
‘UPS dug their heels in’: Teamsters UPS strike plans emerge, could affect 30 percent of parcels
July 21, 2023 // “If we are unable to hire, properly train or retain qualified employees, we could experience higher labor costs, reduced revenues, further increased workers’ compensation and automobile liability claims, regulatory noncompliance, customer losses and diminution of our brand value or company culture, which could materially adversely affect us,” the company said. Teamsters chief asks White House not to intervene if UPS workers strike Teamsters spokespeople said last Friday that the hiring of nonunion workers is an affront to the collective bargaining process and makes negotiations more difficult.
Teamsters president says he’s asked the White House not to intervene if UPS workers go on strike
July 17, 2023 // "Asked during a webcast with members Sunday on whether the White House could force a contract on the union, Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said he has asked the White House on numerous occasions to stay away." The Teamsters represent more than half of the Atlanta-based company's workforce in the largest private-sector contract in North America. If a strike does happen, it would be the first since a 15-day walkout by 185,000 workers crippled the company a quarter century ago.
OP-ED: BIDEN IS INVESTING IN GREEN ENERGY ACROSS THE SOUTH — THROWING SWING STATE UNION WORKERS UNDER THE BUS
July 12, 2023 // The success of the climate program will require continued federal commitment. Biden is placing a bet that clean energy investments could ultimately work the same way as the military-industrial complex. The military and its allied contractors have made sure to set up bases and/or manufacturing facilities in nearly every congressional district in the country, with extra attention paid to areas represented by key lawmakers. That has produced durable support for ever-expanding military budgets. Whether the same could be accomplished for the clean energy industry is an open question, but so far, Republicans from districts that have won federal awards have nevertheless voted to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, which funds the tax breaks. By subsidizing the decline of union jobs, the Biden administration risks empowering lawmakers who will then move to end the subsidies altogether. “The total lack of consideration for workers could certainly make the difference in 2024.” “What Biden is doing is politically insane, environmentally bankrupt, and it’s poor economics,” Larry Cohen, former president of the Communications Workers of America and board member of Our Revolution, told The Intercept.