| | | | |  | | By Lawrence Ukenye | Presented by SOURCEAMERICA® | | 
United Auto Workers plans to hold a leadership meeting after Biden announced on Sunday he would drop out of the race. | Evan Vucci/AP | | | | A MIXED BAG: The many unions who fretted over Joe Biden’s halting debate performance last month largely gave the president his due on Sunday, after he decided to end his bid for reelection. “President Biden’s legacy as the most pro-labor president in history, and that of the Biden–Harris White House, is indisputable,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond said in a statement. Biden staked much of his campaign on the support he received from organized labor. His decision to step aside now means that some groups have already begun lining up behind Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed shortly after his announcement — though other unions plan to go through formal processes to adjust their endorsements. United Auto Workers, which endorsed Biden after he backed the union during its high-profile strike last year, will convene its international executive board for a meeting to discuss its next steps, a union official granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, told Shift. But they did voice support for Harris. “Vice President Harris has been an ally and a champion for the UAW and the whole working class,” the official said. Other unions focused on touting the president’s accomplishments rather than weighing in on whether Harris should be at the top of the Democratic ticket. “Joe Biden has always led with the conviction that working people know what’s best — we just need policymakers to give us a chance,” the Association of Flight Attendants said in a statement. “Every time Flight Attendants sit down with Joe Biden, he treats us with dignity and respect as aviation’s first responders and the last line of defense.” However, some of Biden’s labor allies were not only shocked at the announcement, but also disappointed. Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelsen called the president's decision a “tragedy” and slammed the party for nominating him in a “mishap.” Biden’s decision to step aside now thrusts the spotlight upon the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which has yet to endorse a presidential candidate. The union’s General President Sean O’Brien angered members by speaking at the Republican National Committee last week, though he did call Biden “the most pro-labor president we’ve ever had.” Teamsters did not respond to Shift’s request for comment. GOOD MORNING. It’s Monday, July 22. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Your host has seen nearly all of the coconut tree memes. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@politico.com and lukenye@politico.com. Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
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Vice President Kamala Harris will look to strengthen bonds the White House has built with unions during Biden's term. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images | NEXT UP?: While the vice president doesn’t have the decades-long relationship with organized labor that Biden has, she benefits from her time in the White House forming ties with unions as part of a pro-labor administration, Nick reported. What unions are saying: “Vice President Harris commands a deep understanding and unwavering dedication to addressing issues that affect our membership and we see no reason to change course," Jimmy Williams Jr., the head of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, said on social media. Her labor record: During her time in the Senate, Harris co-sponsored the PRO Act and legislation that would’ve boosted labor rights for groups like farmhands and domestic workers who are excluded from certain federal labor protections. Harris also addressed members of the hospitality workers union UNITE HERE and the powerhouse Service Employees International Union at their respective conventions in May and June.
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| | CATCHING UP: The Labor Department’s rulemaking was dealt a lethal blow by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Chevron deference. However, acting Labor Secretary Julie Su told POLITICO the DOL plans to continue with its regulations undeterred. “These rules are too important for us to back down,” Su said in an interview in her office earlier this month. “They're too important for us to turn back or to be afraid.” Her comments also come as Republican lawmakers seek to use the Congressional Review Act to unwind various rules, including a recent effort by the House Education and the Workforce Committee to block the administration’s fiduciary rule to protect retirement savers. “We need to use every tool we have, every power that we've been given to make sure that working people are protected and share in prosperity,” Su said. Lawrence has the full Q&A for Pro subscribers. WAVING THE WHITE FLAG: The National Labor Relations Board abandoned its appeal of a Texas judge’s decision to block the Biden administration’s joint-employer rule, Nick reports. Context: The NLRB last fall finalized a regulation making it harder for businesses to escape liability for labor law violations committed by contractors or franchisees — a move that infuriated a wide array of business groups, including the construction industry and fast food sector. What this means: A looser Trump-era rule will remain in place, although the NLRB has noted that it has received several petitions to pursue additional rulemaking on the joint-employer standard. More agency news: "Fifth Circuit punts DOL ESG investing case amid Chevron fallout," from our Nick Niedzwiadek.
| | | | A message from SOURCEAMERICA®:   | | | | | IT’S NOT LOOKING GOOD: Federal employees were nervously reacting to growing calls for Biden to step aside. And now that he has, their futures in Washington are in flux. Staff at the Agriculture Department are openly mulling whether or not they should leave their posts early, while personnel in the Health and Human Services Department fear a future Trump administration would gut its policies. What they said: “If we do have an administration shift, other employees will also reconsider their positions and move to the private sector. I don’t know what I’ll end up doing,” a U.S. Park Service employee said. More workplace news: "OPM directs agencies to conduct pay equity studies," from Government Executive.
| | | SHIFTING GEARS: Many Democratic cities are reconsidering their sanctuary city policies and working more closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to give the agency advanced notice before migrants convicted of violent crimes are released, NBC News reported. “Previously, those jurisdictions had been among the many cities with Democratic or progressive leadership that had been refusing to work with ICE out of concern it might inhibit the investigation of crimes,” NBC News writes. “They believed migrants would be afraid to report crimes if contacting the authorities exposed them to the risk of deportation.” MIGRANT CROSSINGS DIP SHARPLY: As immigration continues to dominate Republicans’ campaign messaging, illegal border crossings have substantially declined, The New York Times reports. There were 83,000 documented apprehensions last month, down from 117,000 in May. The decline comes after Biden issued an executive order in June effectively closing large swaths of the border.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | | — "15 Experts Predict What Biden’s Dropout Means for the 2024 Election," from POLITICO Magazine. — "Canada's new labor minister says averting rail strike is top priority," from our Zi-Ann Lum. — "The White-Collar Hiring Rut Is Here. That’s Bad News for Young College Grads," from The Wall Street Journal. — "Over a year in office, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign coffers still buoyed by unions," from the Chicago Tribune. — "Disneyland Park employees vote to authorize potential strike," from The Washington Post. THAT’S YOUR SHIFT!
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