President Obama Continues to Follow Through on Promises to Labor
February 2, 2009
President Barack Obama ran on a campaign of change that included promises to change business as usual in the workplace. So far, he's batting close to a thousand on those labor-related campaign promises.
In recently issued orders, Obama has begun the arduous process of undoing years of Bush administration policies that favored employers over workers. Obama's recent orders will:
- Require federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change.
- Reverse a Bush administration order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit their financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives.
- Prevent federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.
As reported in the Washington Post, Obama said during a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House, "We need to level the playing field for workers and the unions that represent their interests."
"I do not view the labor movement as part of the problem. To me, it's part of the solution," he said. "You cannot have a strong middle class without a strong labor movement."