In a speech union members have waited decades to hear from any chief executive of the United States, President Joe Biden reaffirmed a commitment he made while a candidate for the office: “I made it clear when I was running that my administration’s policy would be to support unions organizing and the right to collectively bargain. I’m keeping that promise.”
On February 28, the White House released a nearly three-minute video of Biden speaking directly into a camera to stand unequivocally with workers who are deciding whether or not to belong to a union.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka immediately commended Biden’s remarks.
“President Biden made the most clear and convincing arguments on behalf of the Labor Movement that any commander-in-chief has made in living history,” Trumka stated. “Joe said what we all know to be true: unions lift up workers, unions created the middle class, and unions have never been more important than now.
“Now is the time for us to band together in solidarity – to defeat the coronavirus, to end racial injustice, and to build back better with unions. Together, this president and our Labor Movement will make the difference,” Trumka concluded.
MTD President Michael Sacco added, “Joe Biden has spent his entire career in Washington supporting the efforts of union members and all workers. In his first days in the White House, he reminded all of his support for the Jones Act. He has never forgotten where he came from or who has had his back.”
In opening the video, Biden declared, “I’ve long said America wasn’t built by Wall Street. It was built by the middle class and unions built the middle class. Unions put power in the hands of workers. They level the playing field.”
To see the complete Biden video, Click Here