Among other candidates, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of
South Bend, Indiana, rallied with rideshare drivers
outside Uber’s San Francisco headquarters last
week, while former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke has
outlined similar plans and New Jersey Sen. Cory
Booker said he supports the bill.
Biden, a Pennsylvania native who casts himself
as a champion for organized labor, is staying
silent for now, perhaps weary of getting in the
middle of two powerful interest groups.
The presidential attention has shone a
spotlight on a growing political headache
for an important part of the tech industry
— headquartered in California — as it fends
off pressure over privacy issues and election
security. Democrats have struggled with just
how cozy to get with tech companies that
are revolutionizing the economy in ways
many Americans enjoy but that are upending
traditional business models.
In 2020, a candidate’s willingness to confront
big tech has increasingly become a sign of
their progressive bona fides, even as they court
young people who use the services and the tech
workers who contribute to their campaigns.
While union membership is down nationwide,
organized labor is positioned to lend significant
resources to candidates. In 2016, for example,
the total labor sector contributed more than
$217 million to campaigns nationwide with
almost 90% going to Democrats, according to
the Center for Responsive Politics.
Beyond money, labor unions can provide
volunteers to campaigns to help with knocking
on doors, making calls and other essential work
that often distinguishes successful campaigns.