The USA president-elect Joe Biden, has vowed to check the abuse of corporate power over labour and hold corporate executives personally accountable for violations of labour laws – all while encouraging unionisation and collective bargaining.
Since he was elected, Biden has attributed the 40-hour work week, paid leave, and health care protections to the workers who organised unions and fought for worker protections over the years.
In addition to recognising the role of unions and the importance of collective bargaining on his campaign website, Biden said he would work to strengthen public and private sector unions during his presidency.
He had previously committed to providing a federal guarantee for public sector employees to bargain for better pay and benefits if elected.
The former vice president and US senator has four decades of relationships with union leaders behind him, with Politico citing him as potentially the most labour-friendly president the United States has ever had.
His pro-union stance stands in stark contrast to the previous office holder, under whose term union membership had continued to decline and pay inequity widened.
Biden has made a specific promise to sign the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, which has House of Representatives backing. It would strengthen workers' ability to unionise, including by allowing them to form unions via card-check elections, where employees sign forms authorising the union to represent them.
Meanwhile, during his first term, Biden is also expected to re-establish a Democratic majority on the National Labor Relations Board, the agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act and settling disputes between unions and employers.
It’s never been more important – or more easy – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.