• Biden called on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act
President Joe Biden expressed his support for organized labor on Wednesday by hailing the victory of union backers at Amazon.
Biden spoke at the national conference of North America’s Building Trades Unions. “The choice to join a union belongs to workers alone. By the way, Amazon, here we come. Watch,” he said.
Biden’s remark comes after workers at an Amazon warehouse on New York’s Staten Island voted to join the Amazon Labor Union. The Union is a grassroots organization made up of current and former company employees.
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“That’s what unions are about in my view, by providing dignity and respect for people who” work hard, the US president said during a speech to the construction workers union.
Amazon has always rejected any moves made by employees towards unionization. The company ran a massive campaign in Staten Island to discourage the activity. The campaign involved anti-union presentations, meetings, and the distribution of flyers.
In his remarks on Wednesday, Biden highlighted the benefits of unions, arguing union members get higher wages, improved benefits, and “safer, healthier workplaces.”
He also called on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act which is stalled in the Senate. The Act protects workers who are trying to organize and limit employee interference in union campaigns.
Inputs from CNBC