President Biden has strongly supported unions, causing a record pay raise for workers.
Biden's assistance leads to unions achieving a record pay increase.
Workers received an average first-year wage increase of 6.6% through union contracts in 2023, the highest raise since Bloomberg Law began tracking in 1988.
In 2023, the average first-year wage increase, including signing bonuses and other payments, was 7.3%, also a record high, according to Bloomberg Law’s latest Quarterly Union Wage Data report.
Bloomberg Law's analysis of wage changes reported in 952 union contracts ratified last year, covering around 2.8 million union-represented workers nationwide, forms the basis for the 2023 calculations.
Millions of workers saw their negotiated pay increase last year due to President Biden's support for unions and his efforts to protect and promote unionization during his presidency.
United Steelworkers Formally Endorse President Biden
In the statement endorsing President Biden, United Steelworkers President David McCall said, “President Biden demonstrated his consistent support for working families in his first term. His vision and leadership strengthened workers’ ability to engage in collective bargaining, expanded the middle class, and set the stage for broad prosperity. Our members expressed the importance of retirement security, affordable healthcare, and labor laws that facilitate union formation and robust contracts. President Biden's track record on these matters speaks for itself. Furthermore, he outlined a comprehensive plan for building on this progress well into the future.”
Unions recognize President Biden's support and his actions backing up his words. More importantly, President Biden has demonstrated his support through actions.
Many Democrats only approach unions when seeking endorsements or votes, but Biden has consistently supported unions. This is because unions help people enter and remain in the middle class. Another term for Biden might mean a continuation of the resurgence of unionization in the United States.
Biden's policies result in improved wages, and this is a message he can convey to voters in November.