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After decades of declining union membership, organized labor is
witnessing a resurgence in the U.S., as sky-high costs of
living, housing shortages and technological disruptions have
bred unusual levels of solidarity among workers in disparate
industries, from dockworkers to Hollywood screenwriters.
Employees seeking better working conditions and higher pay have
recently organized unions at companies such as Starbucks,
Amazon.com, and Apple even as businesses have become more
aggressive in pushing back against union activity.
Biden and Senator Sanders, who chairs a committee on labor
issues, was expected to congratulate organizers for the work
they have done and discuss the president's "belief that worker
power is essential to growing the economy from the middle out
and bottom up," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
said.
In a tweet on Monday night, Biden said he and Sanders met with
young labor leaders to discuss their fight for better pay and
benefits.
"The presence of a union means there is democracy. And
organizing or joining a union - that's democracy in action,"
Biden tweeted.
Administration officials in Monday's meeting included Acting
Secretary of Labor Julie Su, White House National Economic
Council Director Lael Brainard, and White House Director of
Governmental Affairs Tom Perez, the official said.
Biden, who is often referred to as the most pro-union president
in U.S. history by labor leaders, had a similar meeting with
union activists from Amazon and Starbucks at the White House
last year.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Sonali
Paul)
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