09 Mar President Biden is the Most Pro-Union President in American History: Delivering for BCTGM Members
President Biden promised to lead the most pro-labor administration in history, and with one year in office, he has proven he is true to his word. No union has benefited more than the BCTGM from President Biden’s support for unions and workers’ rights. Joe Biden has proven to be a President of the United States who supports workers’ right to join a union, collectively bargain and, when needed, to strike. He is a President who is committed to keeping our jobs in America and protecting our retirement benefits.
SAVES Pension Benefits
In his first few months in office, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act which SAVED the pension benefits of millions of pensioners, including those in the B&C Fund. This historic legislation included a provision that guarantees retirees that they will receive the pension benefits they earned over a lifetime of hard work. For B&C Fund participants, active and retired, this guarantees no pension benefit cuts for current or future retirees and long-term financial security for the Fund.
Supports BCTGM Strikes
In December when 1,400 BCTGM Kellogg’s workers were on strike fighting for a fair contract, President Biden issued a statement of “unyielding support” of striking Kellogg’s workers:
“Collective bargaining is an essential tool to protect the rights of workers that should be free from threats and intimidation from employers.”
Read President Biden’s full statement in support of Kellogg’s workers here.
This is the first time in American history that a sitting President released an official statement from the White House in support of a strike. President Biden added that he has unwavering support for unions, and will “aggressively defend” them along with our right to collective bargaining.
He later wrote a letter to BCTGM members, recognizing them, American workers, as the “backbone of America.” He encouraged the Kellogg’s union members to “keep the faith.”
Labor Secretary Walks the Picket Line
President Biden’s statement sends a clear message to employers across the country that the White House supports unions and union members and their right to a fair contract. No other U.S. President has ever issued such strong endorsement union workers than Biden. For the first time in modern history, a sitting Secretary of Labor walked the picket line when President Biden sent Secretary Marty Walsh to join striking Local 374G Kellogg’s workers in Lancaster, Pa. This historic support from the Biden Administration came at a critical time in the Kellogg’s strike.
Buy American Act
In his first week in office, President Biden signed an Executive Order initiating a review of the government’s Buy American policy and established the first-ever Made in America Office. He put a top labor person in charge. For the BCTGM, this means that when the government purchases billions of dollars in food products, more of it will come from U.S. plants. It also means that the federal government at the highest level is urging Americans to buy products made in the U.S.A.
Additionally, a record 6.6 million jobs were created during President Biden’s first 12 months in office, by far the strongest record of any president’s first year in office. There were 375,000 manufacturing jobs added, the most in nearly 30 years.
Other advances Biden–Harris administration achieved in the last year:
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create millions of good jobs for Americans
- Created the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment
- Issued statements calling for passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, supporting workers’ right to organize and calling out Kellogg’s corporate greed during an active strike.
Supports passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act and paid leave, raising the minimum wage to $15, and expansion of the child tax credit. These measures would go a long way toward making sure that no one has to raise a family in poverty.