<p>As Joe Biden courted the crucial endorsement of the United Auto Workers, his administration allowed government scientists to join the blue-collar union, ignoring legal concerns.</p>
<p>The Biden administration permitted graduate students doing temporary work for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to unionize, despite initially stating that they were ineligible because they were not even employees. The white-collar academics have since become a highly political and radically-Democratic faction within the auto workers union, which is otherwise losing membership.</p>
<p>The reversal came as Biden “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-uaws-fain-rocky-road-2024-endorsement-2024-01-24/">systematically courted</a>” the endorsement of UAW honcho Shawn Fain, who had been critical of the president, but came through with the endorsement soon after the NIH move.</p>
<p>The UAW has turned to students and academics, despite having little in common with blue-collar factory workers, to offset the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/uaw-membership-fell-33-2023-370000-workers-2024-03-29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hemorrhaging</a> of its membership after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) allowed teaching assistants at private universities to unionize. More than a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/10/17/1206359222/uaw-membership-is-down-and-half-of-the-members-aren-t-in-the-auto-business">quarter</a> of “auto workers” union members now <a href="https://www.nihfellowsunited.org/why-uaw/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">actually work in academia</a>.</p>
<p>NLRB decisions don’t apply to the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), which governs federal employee unions.</p>
<p>In June 2023, graduate student-level research fellows affiliated with NIH petitioned the FLRA to grant permission to hold an election to decide whether some 5,000 early-career scientists could unionize.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>NIH submitted paperwork to FLRA opposing the move, the union organizers said. <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-researchers-say-agency-seeks-to-block-unionization-effort" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Science</a> reported at the time that the FLRA argued the temporary academics were not actually employees and therefore not eligible under the law to unionize.</p>
<p>“The Agency is of the view that individuals in all categories appointed under the CRTA [Cancer Research Training Award] and IRTA [Intramural Research Training Award] authorities, i.e., all categories other than Clinical Fellows, Research Fellows, and Senior Research Fellows, are not employees under the Statute,” the Biden administration’s document said.</p>
<p>A post-baccalaureate fellow, Emilya Ventriglia, acknowledged that the NIH program was akin to a training program that included “workshops and… different aspects of training us to be scientists. But I do fail to see how that negates us being workers.”</p>
<p>But the NIH dropped its objection days later after consulting with the Department of Health and Human Services.</p>
<p>“NIH has accepted the petition to include all individuals described and stands ready to work … on an Election Agreement,” <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-withdraws-opposition-unionization-effort">Science</a> reported on August 10, 2023. The agency did not explain why what previously was illegal “under the Statute” was suddenly not, except to say that the reversal came “after additional consultation with HHS.”</p>
<p>In December, FLRA certified the new union, a move that stood to steer millions of dollars in new dues money to UAW, automatically deducted from federal paychecks.</p>
<p>“Some 5,375 early-career NIH researchers have formed a union. The vote to establish the NIH Fellows United-UAW union was certified by the U.S. Federal Labor Relations Authority in December. Of the approximately 1,700 NIH fellows who voted, 97.8% voted in favor of the union,” the new union <a href="https://irp.nih.gov/catalyst/32/1/fellows-vote-to-unionize" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is the first union of its kind in the U.S. federal government. The NIH Fellows United-UAW union will cover, to varying degrees, postbaccalaureate, predoctoral, postdoctoral, research, and clinical fellows working at NIH,&#8221; it added.</p>
<p>The next month, on January 24, the UAW <a href="https://uaw.org/uaw-endorses-joe-biden-for-president-of-the-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> Biden.</p>
<p>“This November, we can stand up and elect someone who wants to stand with us and support our cause,” Fain said.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">WHEN THE UNION&#8217;S INSPIRATION THROUGH THE WORKERS&#8217; BLOOD SHALL RUN THERE CAN BE NO POWER GREATER ANYWHERE BENEATH THE SUN YET WHAT FORCE ON EARTH IS WEAKER THAN THE FEEBLE STRENGTH OF ONE BUT THE UNION MAKES US STRONG <a href="https://t.co/zpjpUEc0YQ">pic.twitter.com/zpjpUEc0YQ</a></p>
<p>— NIH Fellows United-UAW (@nihfellowsunite) <a href="https://twitter.com/nihfellowsunite/status/1674839409366007813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The emergence of the union came at a cost to efforts to reestablish NIH as a science agency trusted by most Americans, following the politicization associated with Anthony Fauci. Union organizers&#8217; rhetoric has been highly political and uniformly leftist. Its social media promotes Bernie Sanders, and all of the bargaining team uses <a href="https://www.nihfellowsunited.org/bargaining-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pronouns after their names</a>.</p>
<p>In one public statement, a green-haired “predoctoral fellow” said the purpose of the union was to advance “a commitment to <a href="https://x.com/nihfellowsunite/status/1702737781745738123" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diversity</a>” and to “amplify the unique voices of NIH fellows of all backgrounds” to build “equitable systems.”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></p>
<p>Nearly 98 percent of eligible employees voted to affiliate with the group.</p>

<script async src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><div data-widget-host="revcontent" data-pub-id="165152" data-widget-id="290588"></div><script src="https://delivery.revcontent.com/165152/290588/widget.js"></script>

Despite Legal Concerns, Biden Let Government Scientists Join United Auto Workers Before Securing Union’s Endorsement

CONTINUE READING

Ohio Restores Medicaid Anti-Fraud Measures After Daily Wire Investigation

He Was Convicted For Defrauding The Government. Now Medicaid Pays His Wife Millions.

Ohio Says Safeguards Exist To Stop Medicaid Fraud, But Admits Massive Loophole

Meet The Convicted Fraudster Running A Million Dollar Medicaid Business

Inside Ohio’s Home Health Empire: 7 Buildings, 288 Medicaid Companies, $250 Million

DW Investigation Reveals One Of The Biggest Government Waste Scandals Hiding In Plain Sight

Investigation

Joe Biden

Labor Unions

Michigan

A video goes viral showing a baby being refused his mother by two gay "dads". This is just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we will have an important discussion today about surrogacy. 

Hour 1

The Matt Walsh Show

Ep. 1765 - This Video Is One Of The Worst Things I've Seen In A Long Time 

The Strait of Hormuz officially opens for business (kind of), the Pope makes “shocking” comments on immigration, and President Trump promises UFO disclosure at TPUSA. 


The Michael Knowles Show

Ep. 1956 -  Pope Leo's "SHOCKING" Immigration Comments EXPLAINED

A false miscreed has corrupted our leadership class.


The Andrew Klavan Show

Ep. 1275 - Dumb, Dumber and Progressive

President Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, a murder-suicide involving former Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax shakes Virginia, and France and Britain hold a conference to secure the Strait of Hormuz – after the Iranian conflict ends. Get the facts first with Morning Wire.

- - -

Ep. 2738

- - -

Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3

- - -

Today's Sponsors:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text 'WIRE' to 83848 to learn more.

Pocket Hose - Text MORNING to 64000 to get a FREE pocket pivot and their 10-pattern sprayer with the purchase of ANY size Copper Head hose. Message and data rates may apply.

Morning Wire

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26

U.S. Expands Hormuz Blockade & VA Fairfax Deaths Investigated | 4.17.26 [Member Exclusive]

A ceasefire goes into effect between Israel and Lebanon, a tragic murder-suicide rocks Virginia, and Dairy Queen deploys AI in the drive-thru. Get the facts first with Evening Wire.
- - -
Ep. 2737
- - -
Wake up with new Morning Wire merch: https://bit.ly/4lIubt3 
- - -
Today’s Sponsor:

Alliance Defending Freedom - Visit https://JoinADF.com/WIRE or text “WIRE” to 83848 to learn more.


Evening Wire: Lebanon Ceasefire Begins & Murder-Suicide Rocks VA | 4.16.26

The Pendragon Cycle

Menu

— Investigation —

Despite Legal Concerns, Biden Let Government Scientists Join United Auto Workers Before Securing Union’s Endorsement