In my 45 years of practicing labor law, including as a member of the National Labor Relations Board for a term, I cannot recall an administration more derelict than Biden-Harris in handling a labor matter of the magnitude of the current strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association.
This isn’t a run-of -the-mill strike over which politicians engage in traditional political posturing. It’s estimated that the strike’s economic impact could range from a low of $2 billion per week to $4 billion per day. The supply-chain disruption will create economic and logistical dislocations that persist for weeks or perhaps months after the strike has been settled.
Before repairing to Rehoboth Beach, President Biden stated that he’s not going to invoke his authority under the national-emergency provision of the Taft-Hartley Act and direct the attorney general to seek injunctive relief to suspend the strike pending assistance by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service — a provision that has been invoked by previous presidents several dozen times. Fine. But there’s absolutely no indication that anyone in the administration is responsibly addressing the matter. The vice president is busy campaigning. Where are Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo?
As Casey Stengel famously asked, “Can’t anyone here play this game?”