Biden Gives Big Tech A BIGGER Gift
(UnitedVoice.com) – For decades, union workers have been the backbone of support for Democratic candidates for Congress and the president. In 2016, some doubt weighed on whether or not union Democrats would continue the pattern as enough broke for former President Donald Trump to help him defeat then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. In 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tried to woo them back.
To a large degree, Biden was successful. It was just enough to help him capture the White House. Part of Biden’s promise was he wouldn’t support any company that attempted to bust unions. Now, it appears Biden has gone back on his campaign promise to union workers.
Biden Administration Awards Amazon Massive Contract Despite Its Anti-Union Positions
In July 2021, the National Security Agency (NSA) awarded Amazon Web Services (AWS) a massive $10-billion contract for cloud computing services. Nextgov reported the NSA said the contract helps support the agency’s Hybrid Compute Initiative to modernize the spy agency’s robust processing and analytical needs. The announcement came after Amazon hired the brother of a top aide to President Biden.
That’s not all the news. After AWS received the massive contract, Amazon worked to bust union efforts at several warehouse locations. The company successfully ensured the Amazon Labor Union lost a second union vote at its Staten Island location. A separate report added union officials didn’t believe Biden was interested in fulfilling his campaign promise to use the government’s purchasing power to influence companies to succumb to union demands despite the president’s pledge to not work with companies fighting against unions.
Is Biden Trying To Have It Both Ways?
In 2020, Biden’s campaign website laid out a plan the then-aspiring president hoped would make him the most pro-union president in US history. The campaign website said Biden planned to stop companies like Amazon from winning lucrative federal government contracts if a union accused a company of using tactics to bust unions.
Additionally, the Biden/Harris campaign website said the 2020 presidential hopeful would ensure federal government dollars wouldn’t flow towards companies who engage in union-busting tactics, don’t pay their employees through wage theft, or violate federal labor laws. The campaign also promised a Biden administration would strip companies of the ability to obtain contracts in the future if they busted unions and said only businesses that signed neutrality agreements promising not to enact anti-union campaigns would qualify for government contracts.
So, was Biden trying to have it both ways?
Why did the president not issue another edict preventing the NSA or any government agency from contracting with Amazon according to his campaign promise?
Perhaps the real problem is Biden promised more than he could possibly deliver during the 2020 campaign. According to Bloomberg Law, the National Relations Labor Act likely prevents Biden from taking such actions. That doesn’t mean he still wouldn’t try, but he’s certain to face legal recourse from companies large and small if he does. Unfortunately, legal consequences haven’t stopped him from enacting other measures the courts deemed unconstitutional over the last 16 months.
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