As the U.S. awaits the swearing in of President-Elect Joe Biden, many are wondering what a new President will mean for current laws and policies. As an employment and labor attorney, mediator, and arbitrator, I am particularly interested in what President-Elect Biden and his administration have in store for our country’s employment and labor laws.
This is the first of a two-part series where I will discuss the changes we may see in the workplace for both employers and employees with Biden in office based on his proposed plan for empowering workers.
Biden’s Plan for American Workers
Biden has proposed a plan which he describes as focusing on growing a stronger, more inclusive middle-class. He states the plan will include “[e]verything that defines what it means to live a good life and know you can take care of your family – the 40 hour workweek, paid leave, health care protections, a voice in your workplace – is because of workers who organized unions and fought for worker protections.”
Biden states that he believes that the best way to support the middle class is by strengthening the public and private sector unions. His plan includes three components:
- Checking the abuse of corporate power over labor
- Incentivizing unionization and collective bargaining
- Ensuring workers receive proper pay, benefits, and workplace protections
Biden’s administration says this plan is “a critical addition to Biden’s proposals to ensure all workers have access to quality, affordable health care; to guarantee all workers are able to send their children to quality public schools and have access to universal pre-kindergarten; to provide education and training beyond high school, including federally Registered Apprenticeships; to support a clean energy revolution that creates millions of unionized middle-class jobs; and to meet our commitment to invest first in American workers and ensure that labor is at the table to negotiate every trade deal.”
Stay tuned for Part II of this series, where I will dive deeper into the three components of Biden’s plan.
Experienced Employment Law Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator, Investigator, Legal and Media Commentator
Angela Reddock-Wright is an employment and labor law attorney, mediator, arbitrator, and certified workplace and Title IX investigator (AWI-CH) in Los Angeles, CA. Known as the “Workplace Guru,” Angela is an influencer and leading authority on employment, workplace/HR, Title IX, hazing, and bullying issues.
Angela is a regular legal and media commentator and analyst and has appeared on such media outlets as Entertainment Tonight, Law and Crime with Brian Ross, Court TV, CNN, ABC, CBS, Fox 11 News, KTLA-5, the Black News Channel, Fox Soul – The Black Report, NPR, KPCC, Airtalk-89.3, KJLH Front Page with Dominique DiPrima, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, Yahoo! Entertainment, People Magazine, Essence Magazine, the Los Angeles Sentinel, LA Focus, Daily Journal, Our Weekly and the Wave Newspapers.
Angela is a member of the panel of distinguished mediators and arbitrators with Judicate West, a California company that represents the gold standard in dispute resolution. She also owns her own dispute resolution law firm, the Reddock Law Group of Los Angeles, specializing in the mediation, arbitration, and investigation of employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other workplace claims, along with Title IX, sexual assault and misconduct, hazing and bullying cases.
For more information regarding resources for employers, businesses, and employees during this time, connect with Angela on LinkedIn for new updates, or contact her here.
This communication is not legal advice. It is educational only. For legal advice, consult with an experienced employment law attorney in your state or city.