‘He Claims To Be Pro-Labor But He’s Not’: Buttigieg’s Focus On Midterms During Stalled Rail Negotiations Strains Relationship With Unions

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was a no-show in negotiations with the rail works union at a key inflection point, opting instead to hit the campaign trail for Democrats ahead of the midterms and leave the heavy lifting to other officials, a move that has angered the secretary’s onetime union allies.

The outrage came after the White House designated Buttigieg as a point man for a new labor agreement with the country’s rail worker unions when negotiations began breaking down in September, according to Politico. Although other officials made public efforts to reach a deal—Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in September said his team spent “20 consecutive hours” at the negotiating table in a press release—neither Buttigieg nor the Department of Transportation, which did not respond to an interview request, made public statements on Buttigieg’s role in negotiations.

But Buttigieg was a regular on the campaign trail, attending more candidate rallies than any other Biden administration official. Union leaders—who sought paid sick leave—told the Washington Free Beacon they no longer see Buttigieg as a friend to their cause.

“He claims to be pro-labor but he’s not,” said retired rail worker Marilee Taylor, who now works at the Railroad Workers United, in a nod to Buttigieg’s ambitious campaign pledges. “He has no idea the conditions working people face. He sits in an office and climate controlled rooms wearing a suit all day. He doesn’t have any idea of what we do.”

The stakes of the contract negotiations between rail workers and their bosses couldn’t have been higher, with workers threatening a strike that could cripple the U.S. economy. As Walsh sat for marathon negotiation sessions in Washington, D.C., in September to avoid a strike, Buttigieg was in Michigan, a midterm battleground state, at the Detroit Auto Show and an awards dinner. At the dinner, Buttigieg expressed his “appreciation to all the parties that stayed at the table,” and celebrated the “good news” that a tentative agreement was reached. The Department of Labor’s announcement of the agreement made no mention of Buttigieg or the Department of Transportation as participants in the negotiations.

Rail workers said they thought they would have an ally in Buttigieg, who enjoyed months of paid paternity leave last year, when it came to worker benefits. Helping a major Democratic voting bloc achieve their goal of getting paid sick days—the main sticking point in the negotiations—could have been an easy way

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