MSNBC host and former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said a speech from Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien to the Republican National Convention “stings a bit” for Democrats. Psaki added that O’Brien’s attendance at the convention did not, however, change or reduce the level of support President Biden enjoys from America’s unions. “There perhaps there hasn’t been a more pro-labor president aside from Joe Biden in modern history,” she stated.
During his speech to Republicans, Mr. O’Brien declared there was something “wrong” with America, and the Teamsters had elected him to fight to correct this. O’Brien denounced “economic terrorism” against US workers perpetrated by enormous corporations such as Amazon and Uber. He lashed out at “big money” and decried Right to Work laws, which he said had made labor organizing more difficult. Right to Work laws forbid unions from collecting fees from non-members, even when the union represents all workers, and have primarily been passed in GOP-led states.
Last year, Michigan lawmakers voted to repeal the state’s Right to Work laws against strong opposition from the Detroit Regional Chamber. The repeal took effect in February of this year, marking the first reversal since their introduction in the 1940s.
Proponents of such laws say they protect employees from “compulsory unionism” and allow them the freedom to choose whether or not to support a union initiative. Opponents, however, argue that unions need financial support and it is right that those who benefit from union efforts should contribute toward their costs.
Despite Republican support for Right to Work laws, Mr. O’Brien told the GOP convention that support for the party is growing among union members. He said more and more American workers are willing to “sit down and consider points of view that aren’t funded by big money think tanks.” The union leader added that he has faced criticisms for speaking to the RNC but dismissed such views as “extreme.”