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 In a speech to workers, union leaders, lawmakers and employers,
Obama supported the defense of workers' rights and urged workers to
band together in an increasingly technology-driven economy.
"I believe when people attack unions, they're attacking the middle
class," Obama told attendees of the first-ever White House Summit on
Worker Voice.
"We've got to make sure ... working Americans don't get lost in the
shuffle," he said. "They can come together and they can win."
Obama and union leaders have recently been at odds, with the
president advocating for a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership that
labor groups fear could destroy U.S. jobs. The pact was announced
early Monday and is awaiting approval from Congress.
At the summit, Obama pointed out that the audience included House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, whose caucus has been skeptical of
Obama's trade discussions, and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who
has been highly critical of the deal.
He said the idea for the event was borne out of a conversation with
Trumka and Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay
Henry, another staunch TPP opponent, who Obama called on to speak at
a question-and-answer session later in the day.
Obama cited companies like Lyft and Uber [UBER.UL], ride-sharing
services, and Handy and TaskRabbit, which help users outsource
housekeeping and chores, as innovators that help increase workers'
flexibility and autonomy.
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But he cautioned that such companies, which are not unionized, could
also be detrimental to workers.
"If the combination of globalization and automation undermines the
capacity of the ordinary worker and the ordinary family to be able
to support themselves ... then we're going to have problems," he
said.
Terrence Wise, a second-generation fast-food worker at both Burger
King Corp [BKCBK.UL] and McDonald's Corp and a union member,
introduced the president.
"I have seen firsthand how we are heard - and how we make change -
when workers like us stick together," he said. "We are united as
working people, as moms and dads, as proud Americans, to make sure
all work pays what we need to support our families."
(Reporting by Megan Cassella; Editing by Richard Chang)
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