'Make it happen, Joe': Robert Reich calls on Biden to issue executive orders to strengthen labor unions

Former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich released a new video on Tuesday explaining how President Joe Biden can use his executive authority to help struggling American workers.

Reich's argument centers on how Biden can bypass Congress to bolster labor unions, and what the commander in chief can do to protect their members, boost workforce participation, and require the federal government to only do business with enterprises that support their employees' right to unionize.

Reich lays out three steps Biden should take to "fulfill his promise" to the country's labor market:

First: require that the federal government contract only with unionized companies whenever possible. This would give workers more bargaining power in every industry from healthcare to telecoms to food service to tech to defense.

Secondly, discourage union-busting. Biden can require that federal contracts go only to companies that pledge to remain neutral in efforts to unionize. Why should taxpayers subsidize companies that illegally quash unions?

Third, deny federal contracts to companies that break labor laws. Biden can require bidders on federal contracts to disclose any labor violations in the past 3 years. This would just be reinstating [former President Barack] Obama’s executive order, which [ex-President Donald] Trump revoked.

Reich also explains that when the Labor Department holds corporations accountable for abusive practices, standards tend to improve for everybody.

"Taken together, these three executive orders will improve the lives of millions of Americans," Reich concludes. "Make it happen, Joe."

Watch below:

How Joe Biden Can Help Workers Without Congress | Robert Reichwww.youtube.com