President Biden Issues Executive Order On Worker Organizing
On April 26, President Joe Biden signed an executive order (EO) on “worker organizing and empowerment.”
The EO creates a Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment that will be responsible for identifying current policies, practices, and programs that could be used to support “worker power, worker organizing, and collective bargaining” in areas of the country “with hostile labor laws, for marginalized workers (including women and persons of color) and hard-to-organize industries, and in changing industries.”
Vice President Kamala Harris will chair the Task Force with U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. The Task Force also will include other members of the cabinet, agency administrators, and directors of various agencies and departments, as well as advisors to the president.
The Task Force is required to consult with agencies, boards, and commissions with jurisdiction, including the National Labor Relations Board, and gather information from labor organizations, worker advocates, academics, and other experts. The employer community is not included in the list of stakeholders who are to be consulted.
The Task Force has 180 days to submit recommendations to the president.