PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden, who often says he's the most in history, touted the importance of organized labor and applauded American workers in building the economy during a Labor Day appearance in Philadelphia on Monday.
The Democratic president spoke about how the economy is recovering from and about what his administration has done to pay for infrastructure improvements, and cited the importance of unions in building the middle class.
As the pace of the Republican primary season escalates, Biden is trying to reclaim ground among working class voters that abandoned Democrats and moved their allegiance to former President Donald Trump and others over cultural issues. And on Monday in Philadelphia he gave a preview of that argument, repeatedly referring to Trump as 鈥渢he last guy鈥� and likening Trump鈥檚 job creation record to that of President Herbert Hoover, who presided over the country as it spiraled into the Great Depression and was soundly defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Speaking of Trump 鈥� who is the leading Republican candidate in the polls so far 鈥� Biden said: 鈥淗e left office with fewer jobs in America than when he got elected into office."
Biden spoke to a crowd of union members from a diversity of industries 鈥� from steel workers to stage hands 鈥� and focused on the impact that his administration's policies have had on working people.
鈥淭his Labor Day we鈥檙e celebrating jobs, good-paying jobs, jobs you can raise a family on, union jobs," Biden told the crowd. Instead of standing at the podium, the president held the microphone in his hand and walked around the stage behind signs that read 鈥淯NION STRONG.鈥�
Labor Day, a holiday honoring workers, comes this year against the backdrop of and by 146,000 United Auto Workers union members.
The president was asked about whether there might be a strike and said he didn't think it would happen. That drew a quick reaction from the UAW's President Shawn Fain, who said he was 鈥渟hocked鈥� by the president's words and saying that the president 鈥渕ust know something we don't know.鈥�
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e got a long ways to go,鈥� Fain said. 鈥淎ll three are required to have an agreement done by Sept. 14. That鈥檚 the deadline for all three. And if they don鈥檛 there will be action.鈥�
The union is pushing for pay raises, a shorter work week and restoration of traditional pensions. Fain said General Motors and Stellantis have yet to put forth a response to the union鈥檚 economic proposals, while Ford鈥檚 economic offer was far short of union demands. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against GM and Stellantis for being slow to bargain, charges the companies have denied. Fain said the union's intent is not to strike but to get a fair agreement.
Labor Day also comes as the U.S. has added jobs and more people have begun looking for work 鈥� the most since January. That is news Biden is eager to highlight as he in 2024.
Biden still needs to persuade voters that his policies are having a positive impact on their lives. Only 36% of U.S. adults approve of Biden鈥檚 handling of the economy, slightly lower than the 42% who approve of his overall performance, according to an from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Biden was making his Labor Day speech days after news that America鈥檚 employers in August, evidence of a slowing but still-resilient labor market despite the high interest rates the Federal Reserve has imposed.
Friday鈥檚 report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate rose from 3.5% to 3.8%, the highest level since February 2022 though still low by historical standards. But the rate rose for an encouraging reason: 736,000 people began looking for work last month, the most since January, and not all of them found jobs right away. Only people who are actively looking for a job are counted as unemployed.
The president frequently talked about the importance of middle-class workers in the economy, saying that when the middle class does well, 鈥渆veryone does well.鈥�
At the Tri-State Labor Day event in Philadelphia, hundreds of union workers donning their local T-shirts waited on a warm and muggy morning to see the president speak.
Lenny Nutter, a Philadelphia resident wearing a yellow Laborers International Union shirt, said he attended the event to support Biden, adding that unions have been more active than they used to be, due in part to the president's policies.
鈥淯nions are adding members, and a lot more work has been given to union workers,鈥� Nutter said.
Biden has used executive actions to promote worker organizing, has personally cheered unionization efforts at corporate giants like Amazon and has authorized federal funding to aid . Just last week, the Biden administration that would make 3.6 million more U.S. workers eligible for overtime pay, the most generous such increase in decades.
鈥淣ow you鈥檙e going to get paid overtime," the president told the crowd.
Biden also has traveled the country, trumpeting how union labor is building bridges and improving train tunnels as part of the Congress passed in 2021.
The 36th annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade and Family Celebration is hosted by the Philadelphia AFL-CIO, whose website says it comprises more than 100 local labor unions representing more than 150,000 workers.
Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press
