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Hi, my name is Sara Nelson. I’m president of the Association of Flight Attendants.
The last couple weeks, I’ve looked at Joe Biden’s economic policy announcements from the perspective of someone who has dedicated my career to building power for working people through strong unions.
The power of solidarity is the most effective tool we have to balance the scales against corporations and bad bosses that invest big resources to keep workers from forming unions and asking for better wages and working conditions. Donald Trump has undercut worker rights every opportunity he’s had.
I’m thrilled that as Joe Biden proposes creating millions of new jobs in clean energy and modernizing America’s infrastructure, his proposals on labor rights are the most progressive a party nominee has ever put forward.
Let’s be clear. Joe’s labor platform and other bold proposals didn’t just happen. They were made possible by millions of working people who stood up and demanded better over recent years.
No doubt, your prior activism with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, your local union, or other organizations and campaigns was a part of making Biden's economic agenda bold and ambitious.
These proposals are especially powerful for millions of people of color, immigrant workers and women — including the care economy and agriculture — who were excluded from early labor laws to appease racist members of Congress in the 1930s and 40s.
Under Biden’s plans, workers would be free to organize a union without interference from employers and achieve union recognition with majority sign-up so that bosses can't throw roadblock after roadblock in the way of having to address workers' concerns.
Joe's plans would impose stiff penalties for employers who obstruct workers from forming a union or refuse to bargain in good faith. And he would end the "right to work" laws designed to weaken unions so bosses can profit, while making all of us less safe.
Joe's plan also expands collective bargaining rights to all public workers, and would protect and expand the right to strike for millions of private sector workers. That includes restoring our right to secondary boycotts that build solidarity and are critical so management can't undercut us simply by redefining our work.
My friend Elizabeth Warren said on CNN: “He doesn't just want to build the old economy. He wants to build the next economy.”
I agree - just building back from this crisis is not enough. Today, corporations cheat workers in industries as diverse as auto makers to the gig economy to fast food franchises to aviation by misclassifying their work—Biden’s plans would end that.
And his plans would explicitly protect immigrant workers from exploitation by taking steps like banning workplace immigration raids and extending protections for undocumented workers who report workplace violations.
These reforms are just a few of the ways Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda will restore power to working people so we can act as a check on corporate greed and capitalist exploitation.
Not only will it strengthen our economy and our families, it will strengthen our democracy. I’ve seen firsthand how workers who experience workplace democracy become more engaged in our civic process — that means a stronger democracy for all of us.
I appreciate the work of the PCCC and its members for unions, workers, and a progressive agenda. Keep it up! And thanks for being a bold progressive!
-- Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants (@FlyingWithSara)
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