Why is the press silent about Pres. Biden's secret meeting with 39 union leaders over the weekend?
A Media Blackout, or a Media Lockout? 🤔
QUICK FACTS:
President Biden and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh met with 39 national union leaders on Saturday at the Hotel du Pont in Delaware.
There is no news coverage of this event, other than it occurred, and no information of the content of the meetings…except what was shared by the White House after the fact.
In fact, the meeting was closed to the press.
Q: Why should you care?
A: The Biden Administration has embarked on an ambitious plan to fundamentally transform labor and employment laws across the United States.
As the Biden Agenda directly affects his biggest political patrons and, as the President of the United States, he is the President for all Americans—including the 89.9% of the U.S. workforce that is not unionized—a secretive, closed-door meeting that is out of view of the press and outside of Washington, DC could be viewed by many as though the Administration and its patrons have something to hide from the public.
DETAILS:
It is no secret that Joe Biden wants to be considered the “most pro-union President” in U.S. history.
However, when the President of the United States—regardless of party—holds a closed-door meeting with a large group of his biggest political patrons outside of Washington, DC and the press is specifically excluded (or has refused to report on it), it should raise some eyebrows.
A media blackout, or a media lockout?
On Saturday, President Biden and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh met with at least 39 union leaders at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware.
However, with the exception of one local website and one local reporter (see tweets below), no major media outlet has reported on the event and the White House did not issue any statement until after the event was over.
Based on the schedule below (linked by DemocraticUnderground.com), it appears the event was intentionally closed to the press.
However, one must ask whether major media was purposely barred from covering the event from the outside, or has the major media not covered the event willfully?
In addition, there is no mention of the meeting on Labor Secretary Marty Walsh’s Twitter feed.
In fact, a review of most of the union presidents’ twitter accounts—of those who are on Twitter—who were reportedly in attendance make no mention of the meeting with the President and Secretary Walsh. Nor, are there any pictures of inside (or outside) the event or even a mention about traveling to Delaware to meet with the President and Secretary Walsh.
Indeed, were it not for a couple of tweets of Kyle Mazza, the one article brief article from WDEL.com (below), and the White House statement after the event, one might not know the event even took place.
Before the meeting:
After the meeting:
The guest list, according to WDEL.com, included:
William “Willie” Adams, President, International Longshoremen Workers Union (ILWU)
Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail Warehouse Department Store Union (RWDSU)
James Callahan, President, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)
Gabrielle Carteris, President, Stage Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)
Bonnie Castillo, Executive Director, National Nurses Union (NNU)
John Costa, President, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
Ray Curry, President, United Auto Workers (UAW)
Eric Dean, President, Ironworkers (IW)
Captain Joe DePete, President, Airline Pilots Association (ALPA)
Tim Driscoll, President, Bricklayers (BAC)
James Hart, President, Metal Trades Union
Jimmy Hoffa, President, Teamsters (IBT)
Jerome Lafragola, Secretary-Treasurer, Transportation Workers Union (TWU)
Richard Lanigan, President, Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU)
Everett Kelley, President, American Federal and Government Employees (AFGE)
Ed Kelly, President, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)
Donald Marcus, President, Masters, Mates, and Pilots (MM&P)
Robert Martinez, President, Machinists Union (IAM)
Sean McGarvey, President, North American Building Trades Unions (NABTU)
Gwen Mills, Secretary Treasurer, Unite HERE
Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA)
Greg Regan, President, Transpiration Trades Department (TTD)
Teresa Romero, President, United Farm Workers (UFW)
Richard Santa, President, National Air Traffic Controllers (NACTA)
Joe Sellers, President, Sheetmetal (SMART)
Anthony Shelton, President, Bakery, Confectionery, and Tobacco Workers (BCTGM)
Chris Shelton, President, Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Liz Shuler, President, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
James Slevin, President, Utility Workers (UE)
Lonnie Stephenson, President, Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Robert Suplee, President, International Plate Printers, Die Stampers and Engravers Union
Augie Tellez, Secretary Treasurer, Seafarers International Union (SIU)
Jimmy Williams Jr., President, Painters and Allies Trades (IUPAT)
Fred Redmond, Secretary Treasurer, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Roland Rexha, President, Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA)
Fred Rolando, President, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Other than U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, it is unknown whether any other Administration or agency officials were in attendance.
In fact, other than a one-page memo from the White House Briefing Room that was issued after the fact, there has been no media coverage on the fact that “President Biden and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh met with 39 national union labor leaders” on Saturday at the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware.
And even the White House’s post-event memo is scant on details.
Today, President Biden and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh met with 39 national union labor leaders. The President and Secretary Walsh met with labor leaders to discuss issues impacting union members and how the administration can help support working Americans.
The President thanked the labor presidents for their support and outlined the steps the administration has taken to help union members in the first year of the administration. Secretary Walsh spoke of the need to work collaboratively to empower American workers and underscored the President’s support for strong unions as key to the middle class. The group further discussed the unprecedented economic growth and jobs numbers which announced 678,000 jobs added in February and a 3.8% drop in the unemployment rate, a total of 7.4 millions jobs added since the start of the administration.
The group discussed the wide range of accomplishments of the administration thus far creating union jobs and protecting Davis-Bacon provisions, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the American Rescue Plan. The group echoed their thanks to the President, the Secretary and the Administration officials for the historic investment the administration has made in American workers. [Emphasis added.]
As the event was closed to the press and, apparently, not reported on by any national outlets, not shared on social media by any of the union presidents, it seems as though the Administration did not want anyone to know about the meeting until after it was all over.
Unanswered questions…
There are many unanswered questions about the meeting on Saturday.
For example:
Were other administration officials in attendance (e.g., from the DOL, National Labor Relations Board, or other agencies)?
If the participants discussed specific policies (as is inferred by the White House memo), were they, in effect, lobbying?
Who paid for the Hotel du Pont meeting?
Why isn’t the major media asking these questions? 🤔