“‘Trade Unions Are a School of Communism,’ Said Lenin – Reflecting on Labor Movements’ Past and Present Impact”
On October 15, 2024, President Joe Biden celebrated new data from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) showing union representation petitions have doubled since the start of his administration—the first increase in five decades. Biden emphasized his administration’s efforts to restore overtime protections, secure the NLRB’s first budget increase in a decade, and hold employers accountable for union-busting practices. Reflecting on the significance of unions in history, the article explores Lenin’s remark that “trade unions are a school of communism” and examines the evolving role of labor movements in today’s economy.
Statement from President Joe Biden on Increased Worker Organizing
When I took office, I promised to be the most pro-union, pro-worker President in history. I have kept that promise. Today’s data from the National Labor Relations Board shows the number of workers filing for union representation has doubled since the start of my Administration—the first administration in five decades to have an increase in union petitions. I am proud to have secured the NLRB’s first budget increase in almost a decade, and I will continue fighting for more funding so the Board can empower workers on the job.
After the previous administration sided with big corporations to undermine workers—from blocking overtime pay protections to making it harder to organize—my Administration has supported workers, including restoring and extending overtime pay protections to 4 million workers, holding employers accountable for union-busting, and calling on Congress to pass the PRO Act. Because when unions do well, all workers do well and the entire economy benefits.
October 15, 2024 Washington, DC
Sources: WH.gov, Midtown Tribune news.
Big New York news BigNY.com
