The Biden administration has recently come under fire over the latest allegation that its agencies are interfering with American workers and government contractors to court wealthy unions this election season.
President Biden has long touted his support for and from unions, telling a crowd in a 2023 Chicago address: “I meant what I said: I’m going to be the most pro-union president in American history. And I make no apologies for that.”
A new group pledging to monitor and bring accountability to public sector unionization and the “control” unions have over government officials told Fox News Digital they found one example particularly egregious:
The new Public Labor Union Accountability Committee, which Fox News Digital has exclusively learned Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson appointed as his senior adviser on Thursday, has taken aim at “arming” public sector unions ahead of the election.
Thompson and PLUAC accused Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra of making an “all-out effort” in recent months to force Medicare call center contractors to form unions.
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Thompson told Fox News Digital that public sector unions are “doing everything they can to disrupt American institutions and take advantage of the American people for years to come.”
Though it was hailed by its supporters as a positive development for workers, the federal government requested that the Medicare contractor rebid a $7 billion contract for about 10,000 workers. Fast Company,
The outlet noted that some In right-to-work states, primarily in the Deep South, where union membership could not be compelled, workers went on strike.
In December, Becerra and another HHS official issued a statement The department announced a proposal to ask such contractors to re-bid or enter into a “labour harmony agreement” with public sector unions.
“In the interest of customer service and continuity of operations, CMS will renegotiate its contracts for the Medicare and ACA Marketplace call centers as per the legally required process,” the statement said.
In a comment published by The Washington TimesFormer Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker claimed that labor good faith agreements are “the favorite weapon of these unions, who pressure businesses into project-labor agreements even when the businesses and some workers don’t want to form unions.”
“If history is a guide, this action will increase costs and slow service,” wrote Walker, who faced an ultimately unsuccessful recall election in 2012, backed by a consortium of what he called “union bosses and liberal special interests.”
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PLUAC officials said the move is election-year politics to please Biden’s allies in union leadership at the expense of American workers.
“What Secretary Becerra and President Biden are attempting to do is beyond brazen, even by Washington, D.C. standards,” said PLUAC spokesman Doug Meyer. “They are clearly intent on advancing the interests of union heads and political allies rather than those of vulnerable seniors seeking basic help from Medicare.”
Mayer said the effort would give union organizers an unfair advantage and enable unions to act against the collective will of their new employee-members — ultimately reducing productivity at call centers.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee — which advocates against mandatory unionism — told Fox News Digital that the Medicare call center example is an “open political exemption to union bosses.”
Mix said Biden expects union leadership to spend millions of dollars in dues money on his re-election campaign.
“Biden may not be popular among rank-and-file workers, but he intends to appeal to union officials who control how billions of dollars in forced union fees are spent.”
“The fact is that Medicare call center employees are already able to form unions under federal law, so mandating these top-level union organizing agreements is not about the wishes of the employees, but simply about solidifying the power of the union head,” Mix said.
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Meanwhile, a top Republican on the issue in Congress said the administration was “selling out” seniors who rely on Medicare call center workers.
“We know this administration doesn’t care about workers, but jeopardizing services for seniors is especially shameful,” said Rep. Jim Banks, R-Indiana.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the top Republican on the HELP committee that focuses on labor and pensions, shared with Fox News Digital a report his office prepared listing several situations he deemed a “weaponization of executive authority” over U.S. labor policy.
They cited the Labor Department’s independent contractor reclassification rule, claiming it would kill the gig economy and put 27 million Americans at risk of no longer being able to work as independent contractors exempt from unionization.
However, the official summary of the rule claims that such workers “play a vital role in the economy” and that the condition is not intended to “hinder” their businesses.
While the Labor Department did not respond to a request for comment on the matter, its information letter on the rule change emphasized that the adjustment is “consistent with longstanding case law” and that the administration does not anticipate disruptions to independent contractors who are properly classified as such.
Cassidy said in separate comments that Becerra’s agency’s attempt to renegotiate a nine-year contract two years ago has nothing to do with any claims of improving services for seniors.
“This is the Biden administration sacrificing continuity of care for older Americans in order to benefit big labor unions right before the presidential election,” said Cassidy, who is herself a medical doctor.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to multiple attempts to obtain comment for this story.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
