The Biden administration has come under fire in recent days for the latest allegations that administration agencies are meddling with American workers and government contractors in order to appeal to deep-pocketed labor unions during election season.
President Biden has long touted his support for and from labor unions, telling the audience in a 2023 speech in Chicago, “When I say I’ll be the most pro-union president in American history, I mean it. And I make no apologies for that.”
A new group vowing to provide oversight and accountability for public sector unionization and the “control” that unions have over government employees told Fox News Digital that one example is particularly egregious.
The new Public Workers Union Accountability Commission, which Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson appointed as a senior adviser on Thursday, is looking to “militarize” public sector unions ahead of the election, according to information obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
Thompson and PLUAC accused Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra of exerting an “all-out pressure” in recent months to force Medicare call center contractors to unionize.
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Thompson told Fox News Digital that public sector unions are “doing everything they can to disrupt America’s system and take advantage of the American people for years to come.”
In a move hailed by advocates as a positive development for workers, the federal government has reportedly asked Medicare contractors to rebid $7 billion in contracts for about 10,000 employees. Fast Company.
The media reported that some Workers in right-to-work states, primarily in the Deep South, where they couldn’t be forced to join unions, went on strike.
In December, Becerra and another HHS official A statement was issued The ministry has issued a proposal to ask such contractors to re-bid or enter into “labour harmony agreements” with public sector unions.
“In the interest of customer service and business continuity, CMS will follow legally required procedures to recompete Medicare and ACA Marketplace call center contracts,” the statement read in part.
In a commentary published by The Washington TimesFormer Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has argued that collective bargaining agreements are “a favorite weapon of labor unions to pressure companies into project labor agreements even when the companies or specific employees do not want to unionize.”
“If history is any guide, this measure will raise costs and slow service,” wrote Walker, who famously ultimately lost a 2012 recall election backed by a coalition of what he described as “labor leaders and liberal special interests.”
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PLUAC officials said the move amounted to election-year political maneuvering to appease labor union leaders who are allies of Biden at the expense of American workers.
“What Secretary Becerra and President Biden are trying to do is beyond brazen, even by Washington, D.C. standards,” said PLUAC spokesman Doug Meyer. “They are clearly determined to prioritize the interests of union leaders and their political allies over vulnerable seniors who need basic assistance from Medicare.”
Mayer said the initiative gives union organizers an unfair advantage and ultimately leads to lower productivity at call centers because it allows unions to act against the collective will of their new worker members.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, which opposes forced unionization, told Fox News Digital that the Medicare call center example was a “blatant political concession to union leaders.”
Mix said Biden expects union leaders to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars through union dues to his reelection.
“Biden may not be popular with rank-and-file workers, but he plans to appeal to union bosses who control how billions of dollars in forced union dues are spent.”
“In fact, Medicare call center employees can already form a union under federal law, so mandating these top-down unionization agreements is not at the employees’ disposal but simply to bolster the power of union officials,” Mix said.
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Meanwhile in Congress, the top Republican working on the issue said the administration is “betraying” seniors who rely on Medicare call center workers.
“We know this administration doesn’t care about workers, but it’s particularly shameful that they would put services for our seniors at risk,” said Rep. Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), the top Republican on the labor-and-pensions-focused HELP Committee, shared with Fox News Digital a report prepared by his office that listed several situations he considered “weaponizing.”[ation of] “Executive Power” over U.S. Labor Policy
He cited the Department of Labor’s independent contractor reclassification rule, which he argued would dismantle the gig economy and put 27 million Americans at risk of losing their ability to work as independent contractors, who are exempt from unionizing.
But the official summary of the rule argues that because these workers “play a critical role in the economy,” the provision is “not intended to disrupt their businesses.”
The Department of Labor did not respond to requests for comment on the matter, but in an information sheet about the rule changes it stressed that the adjustments are “consistent with long-standing case law” and that it doesn’t expect confusion for people who are correctly classified as independent contractors.
In separate comments, Cassidy added that Becerra’s agency’s efforts to renegotiate the nine-year contract after two years is unrelated to any claims about improving services for seniors.
“On the eve of the presidential election, the Biden administration is sacrificing continuity of health care for older Americans in order to benefit large labor unions,” said Cassidy, himself a physician.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to multiple attempts seeking comment on the matter.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
