President-Elect Biden: Workers Demand a Just and Inclusive Economy

Washington, DC — Following is a statement by Rebecca Dixon, executive director of the National Employment Law Project:

“The results are clear: voters have chosen Joseph Biden as the next President and Senator Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States. This historic victory solidifies Harris as the nation’s first woman, first Black person, and first Asian-American as U.S. Vice President. Together with workers around the country, we call upon President-Elect Biden and Vice President–Elect Harris to fight for a just and inclusive economy.

“A just and inclusive economy goes beyond merely reversing harmful policies or returning to the status quo. Instead, it requires the administration to center the needs of workers of color rather than the demands of corporations and the rich. An economy that works for Black, Latinx, and immigrant workers is an economy that works better for all workers.

“NELP calls upon the Biden administration to reject austerity in favor of a bold response to the immediate needs of underpaid, unemployed, and underemployed workers. We live in a country of abundant wealth, with resources that can quickly be deployed to provide vital relief for people now facing unemployment, eviction, and food insecurity.

“In the midst of the COVID pandemic and an economic crisis, frontline workers of color at the economic margins have organized to protect themselves and, where possible, win workplace rights and protections. We call on the Biden administration to join them by re-asserting the role of the federal government in establishing and enforcing worker health and safety rules and other critical worker protections.

“NELP fights for policies to create good jobs, expand access to work, and strengthen protections and support for underpaid workers and unemployed workers. We will continue to push for a just and inclusive economy, and we will contribute to the movement for workers’ rights to lay the foundation for bold, structural solutions that will ensure economic security and just workplace conditions for all workers.”