AFL-CIO, North America’s Building Trades respond to Biden dropping out of presidential race

By TIM ROWDEN
Editor-in-Chief

Washington – Mere weeks before the Democratic National Convention, President Joseph R. Biden announced Sunday, July 21, he is stepping aside and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote in a letter he posted to social media on Sunday afternoon. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

In a separate social media post Sunday, Biden endorsed Vice President Harris to replace him as his party’s standard-bearer ahead of its national convention Aug. 19-22.

Biden’s decision to step aside followed weeks of uncertainty as Democrats remained divided over whether his advanced age and poor debate performance on June 27 would prevent him from mounting a successful campaign against former president Donald Trump, or serving another four-year term.

Yet, Biden will leave office with a notable list of accomplishments. He shepherded the nation through the public health crisis and economic turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic, pushed through the historic $1.2 trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Act creating hundreds of thousands of good union jobs updating the nation’s aging infrastructure.

His appointments to the National Labor Relations Board returned the NLRB to its intended status as a Labor rights arbiter rather than the pro-corporate rubber stamp it had become under the Trump administration.

In addition, he pushed through legislation on climate change, health care, gun control and the semiconductor industry, pulled the United States out of Afghanistan, rebuilt American alliances and led a coalition to defend Ukraine against Russia.

AFL-CIO STATEMENT

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond issued the following statement on Biden’s decision to withdraw:

“There has been no greater champion in the White House for America’s workers than President Joe Biden. He has had workers’ backs every day of his presidency, constantly pushing his administration to use every tool in its toolbox to create and protect our jobs, defend our rights in the workplace, and invest in our economic security.

“President Biden’s legacy as the most pro-Labor president in history, and that of the Biden–Harris White House, is indisputable. The president led the passage of landmark legislation, which rescued our economy from the brink of another depression, brought manufacturing jobs back to America and put us on the pathway to create millions of good-paying union jobs. He ensured a pro-labor National Labor Relations Board that has defended workers’ rights and held bad bosses accountable, including corporate CEOs. He has pressed for Labor standards in every federal investment and raised the wages of hundreds of thousands of federal contractors, raising the tide for fair pay for working people across the country.”

Shuler and Redmond also praised Harris for her service as vice president:

“Vice President Kamala Harris has been an integral part of that success. She cast the tie-breaking votes to save the pensions of more than one million union members and retirees, expand the child tax credit to help millions of struggling families, and take on big pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of key prescriptions like insulin. She is a defender of civil rights and reproductive freedom and a proven partner in the administration’s pro-worker agenda.

“This is why the AFL-CIO unequivocally supported Biden–Harris for re-election earlier than any other presidential endorsement in our history. And it is why, with our deepest gratitude and respect, we honor President Biden’s choice to not run for re-election. “

NEXT STEPS

The AFL-CIO’s officers and leadership from the federation’s 60 affiliated unions, representing more than 12.5 million workers, will convene soon to discuss next steps, Shuler and Redmond said.

“Candidates may change, but our values don’t. Our fight to create an economy where everyone has a fighting chance and a country where working people not only survive but thrive will never stop. Our solidarity with workers as we organize and bargain for the pay, benefits, and safety we deserve will never waver. And our commitment to defeating Donald Trump and JD Vance is as strong as ever.”

NORTH AMERICA’S
BUILDING TRADES UNIONS

North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) President Sean McGarvey also issued a statement:

“No president has put America first more than the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden. As we said in our endorsement, North America’s Building Trades Unions can honestly say no elected official has shown our members and their families more respect than President Joe Biden.

“Through his policies and his personnel, the Biden Administration has consistently demonstrated his laser-like focus on not only rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure and manufacturing sector but also rebuilding the American middle class itself. Their policies have directly led to increased job opportunities, improved working conditions, and better wages for the working class.

“The Administration’s accomplishments have set us on a strong path forward. From saving countless workers’ hard-earned pensions and helping us recover from a global pandemic, to the largest-ever investment in America’s infrastructure, combating climate change while putting workers first, and rebuilding American manufacturing supremacy, this Administration’s record is the single strongest pro-worker, pro-union, pro-building trades record in American history.

“All of that, coupled with the unprecedented regulatory actions to protect and uplift working families – strengthening Davis-Bacon prevailing wage protections, fighting worker misclassification, and repealing the disastrous and misguided IRAPs – have brought life-changing, opportunity-creating, generational change focused on the working men and women of this great country.

“President Biden and his Administration have proven their leadership at a critical time for this country and the working men and women who have built it. NABTU extends our heartfelt gratitude and support for Joe’s years of dedicated service to our nation and the working class he has uplifted throughout his career. President Biden has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to putting America first, and his Administration has exemplified this principle time and time again.

“The Biden Administration’s unwavering dedication to our democracy has been evident every day and always safeguards our nation’s values. President Biden not only saved democracy once; he is doing it twice because of his profound love for our country, and we are humbled by his tireless, selfless efforts and courage to do what is needed to ensure its prosperity and security.”