The circus in Orlando, Cuomo's belated apologies and the Golden Globes hogged most of the headlines on Sunday, but lost amid the worshipping of the golden idol in Orlando was some significant news for the labor movement. Joe Biden came out in support of the unionization drive at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama!
No other president, even FDR, has come out in favor of a specific union election and this one may be of supreme importance to labor in 21st century America. Outside of unions such as the SEIU. organizing the service economy of the US has been a struggle. Giants such as Amazon, Walmart and Target have been successful keeping the unions at bay with a mixture of intimidation, propaganda and strategic sweeteners which have kept organizers off balance.
Biden's endorsement of the Bessemer union election send an unmistakable message to the union movement. Let's hope the workers take advantage of this encouragement. For those of us who think Biden is a lukewarm progressive, here is a concrete example of something he can do which uber progressives like Bernie Sanders cannot.
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