Biden pitches green jobs in tour of Philly Shipyard

President backs union workers for wind farms, EV projects in his reelection bid

PHILADELPHIA — Flanked by cranes and shipyard workers, President Joe Biden made the pitch Thursday that unions will be building America’s renewable energy future — a courtship of organized labor at a moment when some major unions are weighing strikes that could disrupt the growth he wants to campaign on in 2024.

The president toured the Philly Shipyard, where there was a steel-cutting ceremony for the Acadia, a vessel that will help to build offshore wind farms. Biden ticked through the various union jobs being created by the project, promoting a message he has started to amplify as he seeks a second term.

“A lot of my friends in organized labor know, when I think climate, I think jobs,” the president said. “Union workers are the best in the world.”

But tensions are rising between unions and companies about a rapidly evolving economy in which artificial intelligence, clean energy and e-commerce are rewriting some of the basic rules of work. Biden is trying to allay those concerns by saying unions should be a part of the way ahead. But the Democratic president also knows from experience that a strike could harm his reelection chances.

Biden has long called on businesses to hire unionized workers, saying that the premium paid will lead to higher quality work. Companies, however, seem reluctant to meet unions’ terms in separate contract talks with script writers, actors, autoworkers and UPS employees.

Hollywood production is shut down as the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild strike, partially over concerns about streaming revenues as well as AI taking away jobs from creative workers. The strike has put TV shows and movies in limbo.

The United Auto Workers union is starting contract talks, and members say they expect a possible strike. They want to ensure there are union protections at new battery plants for electric vehicles. The union contract expires Sept. 14.

The Teamsters are threatening a strike by 340,000 UPS workers if a deal is not reached with the delivery company by July 31. As more Americans shop online, UPS drivers say they need air conditioning in more trucks and equal pay for weekend shifts. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien has asked Biden not to get in the middle of negotiations.

Biden administration officials say that unions are empowered to press for more benefits and better pay because of the strong job market. Unemployment is a low 3.6%, and job openings are relatively high. The White House says that Biden’s policies have created these conditions.

But strikes could also sink the U.S. economy and Biden’s message to voters.

Samantha Smith, strategic adviser for clean energy jobs at the AFL-CIO, said: “First of all, we do have the most unionfriendly president that anyone can remember — that’s why we endorsed him early.

“We have a lot of confidence in this president and his ability to turn more than $1 trillion of investments — including in clean energy — into union jobs.”