Biden walking the picket line while Trump addresses a nonunion auto plant perfectly illustrates their parties’ distinct approaches to labor issues.
    • psychothumbs@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      15·
      1 year ago

      Thanks. Also FYI anyone who is having difficulty, you can access unlimited NY Mag articles by opening them in incognito windows.

  • MagosInformaticus@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    1448·
    1 year ago

    It’s only 1 year ago Biden signed legislation forcing the railroad unions back to work with only 1 day of paid sick leave per worker per year. While as the author says it “One party is capable of rallying to labor’s side”, that feels very much like putting the bar on the ground.

    • Zerlyna@lemmy.worldEnglish
      593·
      1 year ago

      I read the Biden admin kept negotiating and made a better deal for the unions that went unannounced.

      • Arcane_Trixster@lemm.ee
        631·
        1 year ago

        The union chiefs announced it on Twitter and thanked Biden by name for having a team continue to negotiate. Whether people were paying attention or the media covered is a different matter.

      • Im14abeer@midwest.socialEnglish
        614·
        1 year ago

        As gets posted everytime this comes up, the IBEW was in favor of signing the original contract proposed by the railroads. Their Biden back patting is disingenuous. Whatever he did after breaking the strike doesn’t absolve him of being a strike breaker all while calling himself the most pro union president ever.

    • psychothumbs@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      23·
      1 year ago

      Well yeah that’s where the bar is - traditionally the difference between the parties has been that Republicans wanted unions to die in a fire, while Dems saw themselves as neutral mediators between unions and employers. Now Dems are moving a little bit towards actively favoring unions, widening the gap further. Still can’t exactly trust the Dems as solid labor allies, but if you care about labor issues there’s rarely been a time when difference between the parties has been wider.

    • Kichae@kbin.social
      131·
      1 year ago

      Yes, Biden hitting the rail workers with a back-to-work order was a blow to labour, but I think it’s important to understand how much of what politicians does is symbolic, and, importantly, reactive.

      The symbolism of Biden not just showing support for striking auto workers, but also working the picket line, is a MASSIVE. And it reflects the growing and persistent public support for striking workers in the US. He’s not sticking his neck out here, he’s trying to catch a wave in public sentiment, and his engagement has the potential to grow that wave even further.

      That’s huge, and it speaks to some truly significant shifts in the labour movement.

      • Zaktor@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        It also makes “will you join the workers” a valid question to apply to every other politician from now on. Previously they could hide behind norms of neutrality to avoid the question, but now if they’re not going to visibly and publicly support strikers it can be reported on.