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Just one example: "President Biden adopts steps for promoting union membership" — https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/business/economy/biden-union-membership.htm

Just one example: "President Biden adopts steps for promoting union membership" — https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/business/economy/biden-union-membership.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/07/business/economy/biden-un... The AFL-CIO had a laudatory summary of Biden's first year: https://aflcio.org/2022/1/21/working-people-respond-president-bidens-first-year-office https://aflcio.org/2022/1/21/working-people-respond-presiden... Excerpt: <QUOTE> - President Biden fired the anti-worker National Labor Relations Board general counsel and installed a pro-worker majority on the board. - Union member Marty Walsh (LIUNA) was appointed to serve as secretary of labor. - The Biden–Harris administration created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. - President Biden used his bully pulpit to advance the causes of the labor movement, including calling for passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, supporting workers’ right to organize at Amazon and calling out Kellogg’s corporate greed during an active strike. </QUOTE> (Oh, and don't forget that the Senate has taken it upon itself to require 60 votes to pass most legislation, a.k.a. the filibuster rule.)

lapcat 4y ago
> The AFL-CIO had a laudatory summary of Biden's first year Who can trust union leadership at this point? Leadership betrayed the rail workers. > supporting workers’ right to organize at Amazon https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/26/bernie-pressures-biden-on-amazon-unions-the-time-for-talk-is-over-00027872 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/26/bernie-pressures-bi... > the Senate has taken it upon itself to require 60 votes to pass most legislation Of course the Democrats always need an excuse to avoid doing things while they have power.
- dctoedt 4y ago
  > Who can trust union leadership at this point? Leadership betrayed the rail workers. I can't find detailed statistics in a quick search (and am uninterested in spending more time), but it appears that overall the majority of rail union workers voted to approve the contract, and IIRC 8 out of 12 unions voted to ratify. [0] >> the Senate has taken it upon itself to require 60 votes to pass most legislation > Of course the Democrats always need an excuse to avoid doing things while they have power. I suppose Biden should have just broken out his Green Lantern power ring and willed ten or so recalcitrant Senate Republicans to support more pro-labor legislation in defiance of wealthy business-PAC donors and the MAGA base, which has never primaried a Republican officeholder who strayed from the party line by exercising independent judgment — oh, wait .... [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/21/rail-union-strike-white-house/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/21/rail-unio...
  - lapcat 4y ago
    > it appears that overall the majority of rail union workers voted to approve the contract Yes, this was actually discussed in the article: "In the BLET, the second-largest union involved in negotiations, members ratified a deal, but many members were unhappy with the outcome. In an interview, Hall said his election spoke to rank-and-file frustrations that leadership failed to listen to the membership throughout the negotiations." > I suppose Biden should have just broken out his Green Lantern power ring and willed ten or so recalcitrant Senate Republicans to support more pro-labor legislation This completely missed my point, which is that the filibuster can be abolished at any time. It's a self-imposed constraint. The ultimate irony is that the filibuster can be abolished with a simple majority vote. It's just a stupid senate rule.
    - dctoedt 4y ago
      Ah, you’re right, I forgot that Biden would need his Harry Potter wand to get Manchin and Sinema to agree to ditch the filibuster.
      - lapcat 4y ago
        Biden, the longtime Senator, doesn't want to abolish the filibuster. He's never said he wanted to abolish the filibuster. He only suggested carving out a few small exceptions to the filibuster, such as for abortion. I'll go back to your earlier comment: "Rome wasn't built in a day." The current situation is the result of actions over many decades. The Democratic party is an incumbent protection service. Before the election they sneer "Vote blue no matter who!" (because they know their candidates are crappy, otherwise they wouldn't need to say it) then immediately after the election turn around and cry "But we can't do anything because Machin and Sinema!" They always have an excuse. Remember how the Democratic leadership dragged anti-abortion Henry Cuellar across the finish line against his pro-choice primary opponent? Democrats hate primary challenges. The reason that Republicans have much more ideological conformance than Democrats is that Republicans are much less afraid to primary their incumbents. Many Republican incumbents fear a primary challenge from the right more than they fear a "moderate" Democratic opponent.

lapcat 4y ago

> The AFL-CIO had a laudatory summary of Biden's first year Who can trust union leadership at this point? Leadership betrayed the rail workers. > supporting workers’ right to organize at Amazon https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/26/bernie-pressures-biden-on-amazon-unions-the-time-for-talk-is-over-00027872 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/26/bernie-pressures-bi... > the Senate has taken it upon itself to require 60 votes to pass most legislation Of course the Democrats always need an excuse to avoid doing things while they have power.

dctoedt 4y ago
> Who can trust union leadership at this point? Leadership betrayed the rail workers. I can't find detailed statistics in a quick search (and am uninterested in spending more time), but it appears that overall the majority of rail union workers voted to approve the contract, and IIRC 8 out of 12 unions voted to ratify. [0] >> the Senate has taken it upon itself to require 60 votes to pass most legislation > Of course the Democrats always need an excuse to avoid doing things while they have power. I suppose Biden should have just broken out his Green Lantern power ring and willed ten or so recalcitrant Senate Republicans to support more pro-labor legislation in defiance of wealthy business-PAC donors and the MAGA base, which has never primaried a Republican officeholder who strayed from the party line by exercising independent judgment — oh, wait .... [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/21/rail-union-strike-white-house/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/21/rail-unio...
- lapcat 4y ago
  > it appears that overall the majority of rail union workers voted to approve the contract Yes, this was actually discussed in the article: "In the BLET, the second-largest union involved in negotiations, members ratified a deal, but many members were unhappy with the outcome. In an interview, Hall said his election spoke to rank-and-file frustrations that leadership failed to listen to the membership throughout the negotiations." > I suppose Biden should have just broken out his Green Lantern power ring and willed ten or so recalcitrant Senate Republicans to support more pro-labor legislation This completely missed my point, which is that the filibuster can be abolished at any time. It's a self-imposed constraint. The ultimate irony is that the filibuster can be abolished with a simple majority vote. It's just a stupid senate rule.
  - dctoedt 4y ago
    Ah, you’re right, I forgot that Biden would need his Harry Potter wand to get Manchin and Sinema to agree to ditch the filibuster.
    - lapcat 4y ago
      Biden, the longtime Senator, doesn't want to abolish the filibuster. He's never said he wanted to abolish the filibuster. He only suggested carving out a few small exceptions to the filibuster, such as for abortion. I'll go back to your earlier comment: "Rome wasn't built in a day." The current situation is the result of actions over many decades. The Democratic party is an incumbent protection service. Before the election they sneer "Vote blue no matter who!" (because they know their candidates are crappy, otherwise they wouldn't need to say it) then immediately after the election turn around and cry "But we can't do anything because Machin and Sinema!" They always have an excuse. Remember how the Democratic leadership dragged anti-abortion Henry Cuellar across the finish line against his pro-choice primary opponent? Democrats hate primary challenges. The reason that Republicans have much more ideological conformance than Democrats is that Republicans are much less afraid to primary their incumbents. Many Republican incumbents fear a primary challenge from the right more than they fear a "moderate" Democratic opponent.