Harris to lead Biden task force promoting unions, labor organizing

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Monday that will create a task force to promote labor organizing, a White House official said, at a time when just over 6 percent of U.S. private-sector workers belong to unions.

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Monday that will create a task force to promote labor organizing, a White House official said, at a time when just over 6 percent of U.S. private-sector workers belong to unions. The White House task force will be headed by Vice President Kamala Harris, the official, who did not wish to be named, told Reuters. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will serve as vice chair of the group.

The task force will also include top cabinet officials such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the White House economic advisers Cecilia Rouse and Brian Deese, the White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy and Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen. The administration is expected to release more details later on Monday.

The order also will issue guidance on how the federal government can help workers join labor unions and bargain collectively. Over 65 percent of Americans approve of unions, the most since 2003, according to a 2020 Gallup poll, despite the much lower membership rate.

Organized labor faced one of its biggest setbacks in recent history after a organizing drive at an Amazon.com facility failed earlier this month.