Biden Forgets Campaign Promise; Union Jobs Stymied

December 13, 2022

Joe Biden ran for President on a number of dyed-in-the-wool Democrat principles. One of them was buoying the number of union jobs across the nation.  For that, nearly every major labor and service union endorsed him, contributed to his campaign and supported his candidacy with vigor.

But on day one of his presidency, Joe Biden seemingly forgot who helped get him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, laying off over 1,200 union hands by cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline.  Many of those workers are still unemployed today.

As Biden and his surrogates have carried out an endless attack on traditional energy – in favor of ‘green’ industries and so-called solutions – it has also been an attack on union halls across the country.  The “good paying union jobs” Biden promised certainly haven’t materialized the way labor leaders expected.

Last week, Alaska District Council of Laborers’ President Joey Merrick penned an opinion piece in Real Clear Energy, extolling Biden to use his clout to move the Willow project forward.  The ConocoPhillips Alaska-owned development in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve has the chance to add 180,000 barrels of oil a day to domestic production, generate billions in revenue, and – most important to Merrick – add 2,000 construction and 300 permanent jobs, 75% of which would be union.

Willow’s full-throated support by the Alaska Congressional delegation, Alaska’s state Legislature and Governor, labor and trade associations and Power The Future, among others, has been offset by a small-but-loud minority of radical environmental voices, who have worked with extremists in the Biden administration to delay Willow.

If Biden is serious about adding to union employment rolls, he must bring the full force of the White House to support Willow.  Otherwise, many of those labor groups may find themselves choosing a different path in 2024.