During the interview, Beyer said, “This administration, Joe Biden and his folks have done a really good job of intervening again and again, on the longshoremen, on the UPS. I certainly expect that we will see the White House intervening to make sure that they don’t strike against the Big Three.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters barely avoided a strike with United Parcel Service (UPS) which would have resulted in 1.2 million union drivers shutting down the transportation industry. The deal was reached in the end of July only one week before their contracts were set to expire.
The acting Department of Labor Secretary, Julie Su, said in an interview with Axios, “Our stance is to stay out, respect the parties unless asked, or unless there’s some reason why we believe that we could be helpful. This president and I really believe in the collective bargaining process, which is premised on the parties coming together, sitting down, negotiating, grappling with hard things, and coming to a resolution.”
Biden has an upcoming meeting with leaders from the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association where he will take credit for the two sides reaching a deal all because of “Bidenomics” which he claims increased worker pay and benefits.
Beyer also noted “Bidenomics” having the opposite effect, “Especially after all the inflation that affected new cars and used cars in the last couple of years, we would need to look at supply shortages again driving up prices. That would be a terrible thing for the American consumer.”
Currently the UAW authorized its members to strike on August 25th which means a strike could occur at anytime if leadership recognizes a sour deal. Any strike by the UAW would have massive consequences on the economy, but no word from the White House.
