The CEO of the Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy organization advocating for free markets and limited, accountable government, Aaron Withe, says that Biden’s pick for Labour Secretary is a bad decision.
“President-elect Joe Biden signaled with his choice of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as Labor secretary that he means to keep his promise to craft the most union-compliant administration in history.”
“Good news for the nation’s labor leaders, but not so much for the rank and file — and a looming disaster for the 89 percent of American workers who aren’t represented by a union but whose taxes will now be used to generate a handsome return on the sizable investment unions made in Biden’s candidacy.”
Labour unions gave their support to the new secretary saying:
“Marty is a star, and he could hit the ground running as far as dealing with the issues and impact on working families,” American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) President Lee Saunders said even before the appointment was announced. “He’s a card-carrying union member who has executive experience running a large city. There’s no doubt he’d be a high-profile and passionate fighter for workers’ rights.”
“I think Marty Walsh is a great idea for labor secretary,” “echoed American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, insisting he both understands labor and has a close relationship with the president-elect, which would be important in advancing a pro-labor agenda.” Aaron Withe said.
Withe pointed out:
“Not surprisingly, while government employee unions are going gaga over Walsh’s selection, private-sector unions are somewhat more muted in their praise. According to Politico, the United Auto Workers and Utility Workers Union of America sent letters to Biden’s transition team backing another candidate, as did the National Nurses United, the Communications Workers of America and the United Farm Workers of America.”
“That Biden chose to curry favor with actors like AFSCME, AFT, the National Education Association, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Teamsters and others presuming to speak for millions of government employees only exposes the fallacy of the modern labor landscape.”
“Where once unions were necessary to fight against child labor abuses and in favor of workplace safety standards, membership in the private sector has shrunk to its lowest levels in decades because most of those duties have been assumed by government regulators, and workers see little reason to pay exorbitant dues for a service they no longer need.”
