{"id":2287,"date":"2021-01-19T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=2287"},"modified":"2021-01-18T15:41:20","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T15:41:20","slug":"biden-administration-labor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/biden-administration-labor","title":{"rendered":"What Will the Biden Administration Do for the Labor Movement?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers and the unions that represent them have had a rough four years under the Trump administration. They were consistently attacked through anti-worker legislation and anti-labor rhetoric. They were forced to work on the front lines of a pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these attempts to weaken workers\u2019 morale and strength, or maybe because of them, labor union popularity with the American public has grown. A Gallup<\/a> poll conducted over the summer of 2020 found that 65 percent of respondents approved of unions, the highest favorability rating they have enjoyed in 17 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee Saunders<\/a>, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), asserts that the poll reflects Americans\u2019 greater understanding of the contributions of union workers. \u201cPeople have respect for members of unions,\u201d Saunders says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under a Biden administration, could this growing sentiment of support be key to advancing a more progressive labor agenda? Union leaders think so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear to me it\u2019s going to be the most significant pro-labor, pro-worker administration in a long, long, long time,\u201d says Harold Schaitberger<\/a>, president of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One early reason to be optimistic: President Biden\u2019s pick for Secretary of Labor is Boston mayor Marty Walsh, whose previous position was head of Boston Building Trades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Walsh] will make sure that America\u2019s workers get the proper training and that America\u2019s employers, in partnership, follow the rules so that workers arrive home after work in the same condition as they headed off to work in the morning,\u201d North America\u2019s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey<\/a> says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buoyed by the support of labor leaders, workers and the American public, the stage is set for a Biden administration that, starting from tomorrow\u2019s inauguration day, could begin advancing the rights of workers and unions \u2014 if the administration prioritizes key items within the labor movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renewed Support for the PRO Act<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the top legislative priorities for congressional Democrats and labor unions is the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO) Act<\/a>. The PRO Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in February 2020, but the Republican-led Senate never took it up for debate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This piece of legislation is viewed by labor-friendly forces as crucial for giving workers and unions transformative power. \u201cThe PRO Act offers the poten\u00adtial to trans\u00adform our union and the broad\u00ader labor move\u00adment into a force we haven\u2019t seen in decades,\u201d asserts Jim Williams<\/a>, gen\u00ader\u00adal vice pres\u00adi\u00addent of the Inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Celine McNicholas and Lynn Rhinehart<\/a> at the Economic Policy Institute explain, the law would do this in a number of different ways, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n