President Joe Biden is again facing a test to his claim as the most pro-union White House occupant, this time as threats of a railroad strike reemerge ahead of the midterm elections.
The White House announced with great fanfare a tentative agreement to avert a railway worker strike on Sept. 15, but one of the unions involved has since rejected the deal, raising the possibility of a work stoppage that could cripple the nation’s supply chain this holiday season.
WHILE BIDEN TOUTS MANUFACTURING, LABOR UNIONS ARE CHANGING
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division voted 56% to 43% to reject a five-year contract that included a 24% pay increase by 2024, raising the average wage to $110,000 a year, but only one paid sick day. Labor leaders wanted 15, which the union’s president highlighted in a statement following the vote.
“Railroaders are discouraged and upset with working conditions and compensation and hold their employer in low regard. Railroaders do not feel valued,” BMWED President Tony D. Cardwell said. “They resent the fact that management holds no regard for their quality of life, illustrated by their stubborn reluctance to provide a higher quantity of paid time off, especially for sickness.”
The move was a blow to Biden and his administration. The White House chief of staff, Biden’s top economic adviser, the secretaries of labor, transportation, and agriculture, and Biden himself were all involved in negotiations. Still, any future strike will be averted until at least Nov. 19, placing the worst-case scenario beyond November’s elections.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
The railway union, one of several involved, rejecting the deal isn’t all that surprising, argued Dan Bowling, who teaches labor and employment courses at Duke University.
“Every deal or contract that’s negotiated across industries by a union eventually has to be ratified by the membership with a majority,” he said. “This one was rejected by a fairly sizable majority, which wasn’t wholly unexpected.”
Bowling added that he remains confident a deal will be reached ahead of November’s drop-dead date, though he warned a strike during the holiday season would be politically disastrous for Biden.
The president is vocal about his strong union ties. He utters the phrase “good-paying union jobs” in nearly every speech, and union leaders often introduce him before speeches held at various factories. Biden launched his 2020 presidential campaign at a Teamsters hall in Pittsburgh, with labor organizations contributing $27.5 million to back his White House bid.
Yet Bowling said Biden’s self-designation as the biggest friend of labor may not hold with rank-and-file union members.
“I think traditional unions have largely given up on the Democrats and Biden being a big friend of unions,” he said. “Saying he’s a friend of labor and acting like he’s a friend of labor are very different things.”
Some priorities held by traditional unions, such as keeping American jobs in America and limiting immigration, are closer to former President Donald Trump’s agenda than Biden’s, argued Bowling.
“The Democrats are viewed more and more with suspicion by the traditional union base,” he said.
New unions have been cropping up in places such as Starbucks, local libraries, software companies, newsrooms, and even hospitals and think tanks, employing white-collar workers who are aligning more and more with Democrats in recent election cycles.
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So far, Biden has kept the focus on traditional manufacturing unions located in rust belt cities such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. In announcing the since-rejected deal with railway workers, he predicted that the base won’t be going anywhere for the foreseeable future.
“These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their healthcare costs: all hard-earned,” Biden said. “The agreement is also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come.”
