Biden on the sidelines of ‘Striketober,’ with economy in the balance
The president has said he supports the workers’ right to strike, but White House officials say he doesn’t plan to get involved in any of the labor disputes sweeping the country.
WASHINGTON — As a wave of workers across the country take to picket lines, President Joe Biden is witnessing a resurgence in the labor movement he spent decades championing — at a time when it could hamper the economic recovery he is fighting to protect.
Biden has said that he supports the workers’ right to strike but that he is “not going to get into the negotiation,” and White House officials say he doesn’t plan to get involved in any of the labor disputes involving more than 100,000 workers across the country. Instead, he has taken the position that the decision to strike is up to the workers, leaving it to them and their employers to resolve disputes, the officials said.
It’s a shift for Biden. As a presidential candidate and a senator, Biden joined picket lines and tweeted out support for striking workers. He has called himself the most pro-labor president in history, having come out in support of Amazon workers trying to unionize and repeatedly inviting labor leaders to..Read More