President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol was so rousing that many of his political opponents have dismissed it as a campaign speech.
The president focused on foreign policy, dealt with concerns about migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, and boasted about how his administration has strengthened the economy.
Biden spoke of having created 15 million new jobs in three years, talked of how his administration passed a $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, and noted that they have been able to keep unemployment at a 50-year low.
Danny Davis, who works as a janitor at JFK airport, said he found Biden’s speech both motivating and encouraging. He said he liked the proactive stance Biden has taken toward supporting U.S. workers and helping them get sustainable wages. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has been pushing to increase wages and institute health care for airport janitorial workers, many of whom work for contracted companies whose workers are not unionized and don’t have health insurance, paid leave, or safe working conditions.
“The president’s role is essential; he is the face of America,” said Davis, who has been a member of 32BJ SEIU since 2019. “I would say that his role is critical—if he’s able to work with Congress, of course––to facilitate having wages increase and having people being able to provide for their families.”
During his address, Biden emphasized his alliance with unions––and the fact that he was the first sitting president to visit a picket line when he walked with the United Auto Workers (UAW) this past September as they held targeted strikes against General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Company.
“The great comeback story is Belvidere, Illinois, home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years,” Biden said. “Before I came to office, the plant was on its way to shutting down. Thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods. Hope was fading. Then, I was elected to office, and we raised Belvidere repeatedly with auto companies, knowing unions would make all the difference. The UAW worked like hell to keep the plant open and get these jobs back. And together, we succeeded.”
Biden pointed out that United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain was in attendance at the State of the Union alongside Dawn Simms, a third-generation UAW worker who lives in Belvidere. Last year’s UAW strikes kept auto factories from shutting down, and kept Belvidere from “being left behind,” Biden insisted. “And today, Dawn has a good job in her hometown, providing stability for her family, and pride and dignity as well. Showing once again Wall Street didn’t build America. They’re not bad guys––they didn’t build it, though. The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class.”
“President Biden has walked his talk when it comes to unions…literally,” SEIU Secretary-Treasurer April Verrett told the Amsterdam News. Verrett was also in Washington to attend the State of the Union; she was an invited guest of House Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries.
“Biden was the first sitting president to visit a strike line,” said Verrett. “The Biden-Harris administration has given Starbucks, care and nursing home workers, plus other industries fighting for unions, a voice at the White House. He has pushed for a transformative federal investment to make care jobs good jobs, but that was blocked by Republicans in Congress. This administration has empowered workers through the National Labor Relations Board and Department of Labor by restoring balance and ensuring that these agencies have more resources to hold employers accountable.”
