The opportunities and challenges to come.

(12/18/2020)

Presidential candidate Joe Biden vowed to be “the strongest labor president you have ever had,” and the WGAW PAC supported the Biden-Harris ticket. Now, as the candidate transitions into leadership, it’s time to hold him accountable to his promises.

Here’s some of what writers should look out for come Jan. 20.

Commitment to unions. During the campaign, Biden issued a comprehensive labor plan to strengthen organizing, collective bargaining, and unions. In keeping with his promise, President-elect Biden must begin by choosing a Secretary of Labor that understands the job is to protect workers, not the companies that exploit them. Biden can reverse the destructive policies of the Trump Administration and the devastating economic impact of COVID-19 on workers by increasing enforcement of worker safety measures during the pandemic. Following the passage of Proposition 22 in California, which the WGAW and Biden publicly opposed, Biden’s Department of Labor should interpret existing law to conclude that gig workers are employees and allow them to unionize. The new Administration must also push for legislation to aid ailing multiemployer pension plans—a priority for unions nationwide for years.

Return to net neutrality. Biden has pledged to appoint a Chair to the Federal Communications Commission who would restore net neutrality. Although the recent confirmation of Trump appointee Nathan Simington has left the FCC deadlocked for the foreseeable future with two commissioners from each party, restoring Title II regulation of broadband will be a priority for the new chair. The WGAW will urge the FCC to address consolidation while promoting a competition policy that creates opportunities for diverse and independent content creators.

Robust antitrust enforcement. Biden promises to address corporate concentration and structural inequality in the economy. With the burgeoning revival of antitrust enforcement, the WGAW will be closely watching his picks for Attorney General, head of the Antitrust Division, and Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with the agendas they set. Between the recent mergers of Disney-Fox, AT&T-Time Warner and T-Mobile-Sprint, and the threat of Big Tech gatekeepers quashing competition in streaming video, writers are long overdue for stronger scrutiny of mergers and robust antitrust enforcement, even if passing new legislation isn’t feasible with this Congress.

Solutions to runaway healthcare costs. The choice of WGAW ally and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to head the Department of Health and Human Services shows promise for the future of healthcare. As Attorney General, Becerra brought a case against Sutter Health over anticompetitive practices that raised healthcare costs for consumers, leading to a landmark settlement. The Biden administration must address the rising cost of healthcare in the country, putting the root cause of supply-side market power front and center.

Just how far Biden will be able to take his agenda as president still hinges on the outcome of the Jan. 5 Georgia Senate runoff races. That’s why the WGAW PAC has invested in supporting Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in their battles against David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, two sitting senators who abused their positions during the global pandemic to make self-serving stock trades. Seating Warnock and Ossoff in the Senate would tip the balance of power in favor of workers and in favor of writers.

Yet even without Democratic control of the Senate, the Biden Administration can significantly affect issues that matter most to writers and the labor movement. The WGAW will be watching.