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United States at the Mercy of Unions Decisions

Union decision, Biden y los sindicatos

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Biden is Compromised to the AFL-CIO, Leading Association of Trade Unions in the U.S.

During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden worked for the support of trade unions and pledged his fierce loyalty to labor organizations. At an event of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Biden pledged to those in attendance to be “the strongest union president you have ever had, committing to empowering workers” from the White House.

Union leaders have seen how for decades traditional politicians like Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton, as well as those within the Democratic Party that hold moderate views, have taken advantage of labor unions for electoral purposes, whose contributions have gone beyond providing votes to them, and all the while not giving in return any serious commitment of support for the labor movement.

In 2016, for example, unions spent more than $100 million on Hillary Clinton’s campaign, including $15 million from the AFL-CIO, nearly $20 million from the National Education Association, and another $20 million from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which in 2020 provided $150 million to elect the Democratic candidate.   

In turn, “Biden pledged to enact the Pro Act, a bill to strengthen labor laws, hold executives personally accountable when interfering with workers’ attempts to unionize, and reverse legislation that weakens unions to ensure that all workers have a right to collective bargain,” Forbes reported.

The Radical Left Even More Committed to the Labor Union Movement

For many conservatives, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) have a progressive agenda focused on ending moral and/or religious traditions. But beyond the cultural agenda, the main aim of politicians like AOC is to increase bureaucracy and the long-term consolidation of the labor movement .

In this sense, AOC has become the unions voice that the labor unions needed to regain government power. Recently, the Congresswoman referred to the new strategy that unions in United States should opt for, arguing that “We’re not going to beat big money with more big money. We are going to defeat big money with a lot of organization,” while defending not going back to work after COVID-19 is gone. 

AOC and Sanders are not the only ones with strong ties in the trade union orbit. According to CNN, “AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka supports Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, while Michigan Representative Andy Levin, a radical leftist Democrat, has also built a base of support among union leaders, including communications workers in US.

Labor Unions, an Environment Rife for Corruption

Excessive bureaucracy is the ideal environment for corruption to flourish even in the name of the less fortunate. In 1957 the U.S. Congress enacted an anti-corruption law to combat corruption in trade unions due to cases of bribery and fraud by union members at the time.

Unions, decisions, United State
The New York Times reported that General Motors has accused Fiat Chrysler of bribing union leaders to gain an advantage over GM in contract negotiations. (AFP)

This law aims to provide transparency in the accounting information submitted by union leaders to the Labor Department. Actions such as “expanding reporting, including for smaller unions, requiring electronic filing, and changing the way financial information is provided” which succeeded in improving transparency in union information.

Despite these advances, union bureaucrats still find ways to commit corruption crimes. For example, in early 2020, The New York Times reported “for five years, federal investigators have reconstructed a broad pattern of corruption within the United Automobile Workers, exposing diversion of dues by union officials,” involving union leader Gary Jones.

The U.S is a progress machine thanks to the flexibility of its workforce, and its business environment that is conducive to entrepreneurship. The economic and legal system takes care of defending citizens from the bureaucratic decisions of politicians, “thus creating an efficient market with a growing mobile population that translates into a younger workforce,” which is therefore more skilled and innovative, and one that does not fit within the old standards imposed by labor unions.  

Camilo Bello is a consultant focused on Asia Pacific studies and has experience in strategic management. He has studied law in Colombia and is currently pursuing studies in language and history at National Taiwan Normal University. He has collaborated with Students for Freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan // Camilo es consultor enfocado en estudios de Asia Pacífico y experiencia en gestión estratégica. Cuenta con estudios en Derecho en Colombia y actualmente se encuentra realizando estudios en lenguaje e historia en National Taiwan Normal University. Colaborador de Estudiantes por la Libertad en Hong Kong y Taiwán

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