Power at Work: From Biden to Harris: What does it mean for unions?
By SETH HARRIS
I will admit to feeling a profound sense of sadness when President Biden announced he would end his re-election campaign. I had the privilege of working with Biden in two administrations. Everything I saw confirmed that he is a good man. He could be tough, but always with the purpose of accomplishing an important goal. After administering a tongue-lashing to me in an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act implementation meeting with my deputy-secretary peers, Biden walked over to me and offered an encouraging word and a “we need to get this done” command. I have a picture of that encounter hanging in my home office.
Joe Biden overcame two unfathomable personal tragedies and numerous high-profile professional setbacks to continue his service to working-class and middle-class families like those with whom he grew up in Claymont, Delaware and Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has been a model of epic resilience. And that’s how he sees working people: resilient, hard-working, and committed to their families and communities. “All they need is a little breathing room,” he told us numerous times.
Union members and their local and national leaders know him. They worked with him. They socialized with him. After 50 years, he built an unequalled trust with the labor movement and a record that justified that trust. Late AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka called him “the most pro-union president in history.” Biden loved that title and repeats it like a military veteran might wear a Bronze Star.