WEBVTT - White House National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard Talks US Dockworker Strike Halt

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<v Speaker 1>Under Savernas. This morning, a trade crisis averts it. US

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<v Speaker 1>DOC worker is ending a three day strike the temporarily

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<v Speaker 1>halted East Coast trade. The union extending its contract through

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<v Speaker 1>January fifteenth, allowing more time for negotiations and avoiding a

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<v Speaker 1>contentious labor and economic battle just ahead of the election.

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<v Speaker 1>Joining US now and pleased to say the National Economic

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<v Speaker 1>Council Director Leo Brainer, Director Brainer, thank you very much

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<v Speaker 1>for giving your time to Bloomberg TV this morning. The

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<v Speaker 1>first question we all have is how much progress have

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<v Speaker 1>we actually made ahead of January fifteenth. You've been a

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<v Speaker 1>big part of the conversation. Could you share some of

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<v Speaker 1>that information with us.

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<v Speaker 2>There's tremendous progress. The most important thing, our ports are

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<v Speaker 2>back open, our dock workers are back at work. American

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<v Speaker 2>consumers really won't see any effect of this at all.

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<v Speaker 2>And again we see that the collective bargaining really works

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<v Speaker 2>when you support it and give it a chance, which

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<v Speaker 2>is what the Vice President of the President have always

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<v Speaker 2>done in terms of the progress at the bargaining table.

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<v Speaker 2>For many months, the two parties hadn't been working together.

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<v Speaker 2>Now they have extended the contract in order to really

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<v Speaker 2>roll up their sleeves and address the remaining issues on

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<v Speaker 2>the table. Having now solved the wage piece of this,

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<v Speaker 2>so good news for everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>I think some people would argue the remaining issue is

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<v Speaker 1>the hardest issue. It's automation, and they're trying to work

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<v Speaker 1>out whether this punt, if we can call it, that

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<v Speaker 1>was about the election just to push this out to

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<v Speaker 1>January fifteenth, or whether it's about doing the patriotic thing

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<v Speaker 1>and making sure that we could get the things we

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<v Speaker 1>needed to get to the disaster designs across the country

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<v Speaker 1>following the hurricane from the ports and through this country

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<v Speaker 1>efficiently and effectively. Can you share with this Director branded

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<v Speaker 1>what this was really all about.

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<v Speaker 2>Absolutely so. On the part of the carriers, the port operators,

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<v Speaker 2>and the dock workers, they all wanted to get back

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<v Speaker 2>to work. I think it was a patriotic effort. We

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to make sure that the hurricane supplies are moving,

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<v Speaker 2>that consumers don't see any effects, as well as American

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<v Speaker 2>farmers and exporters. So I think on all sides, there

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<v Speaker 2>was a real desire to get to a solution that

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<v Speaker 2>could carry them forward, get back to the negotiating table,

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<v Speaker 2>get those ports open, get back to work. Director brainer, what.

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<v Speaker 3>Is the White House deem acceptable when it comes to

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<v Speaker 3>the language on automation.

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<v Speaker 2>So we really don't take a position on how the

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<v Speaker 2>collective bargaining process resolves. What we do care about is

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<v Speaker 2>making sure that we support the collective bargaining process and

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<v Speaker 2>allow the parties to come to conclusion that works for

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<v Speaker 2>both sides. And that's the role we really played here

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<v Speaker 2>was bringing the two sides together, encouraging them to find

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<v Speaker 2>something that they could agree on. And they did find

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<v Speaker 2>agreement on wages and agreement on extent unding the contract

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<v Speaker 2>to January fifteenth. So I think what we did was

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<v Speaker 2>support the collective organing process, support the parties getting back

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<v Speaker 2>to the table. The rest is really up to them.

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<v Speaker 3>You've done a lot of work, though, Director Bran And

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<v Speaker 3>when you came into the West Wing on supply chain

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<v Speaker 3>and supply chain resiliency. How does the White House way

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<v Speaker 3>given all your work, the fact that we could have

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<v Speaker 3>more efficient ports, is that more important competing with China?

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<v Speaker 3>These efficient ports or union jobs?

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<v Speaker 2>So of course what is very important is to make

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<v Speaker 2>sure that we are making all the improvements that we

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<v Speaker 2>can to our supply chains. And as you know, we

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<v Speaker 2>have massive investments now through the bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In

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<v Speaker 2>our ports, we also have a Supply Chain Council at

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<v Speaker 2>the Cabinet level that I run on behalf of the President,

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<v Speaker 2>so we have much more data across the supply chain.

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<v Speaker 2>There is a flow office now at the Department of

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<v Speaker 2>Transportation that helps all the participants, the carriers, the operators,

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<v Speaker 2>the retailers, the farmers have the data they need to

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<v Speaker 2>plan ahead and to mitigate. And that process was on

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<v Speaker 2>display in the wake of the Baltimore Bridge collapse, and

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<v Speaker 2>it was on display in the week's leading up to

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<v Speaker 2>this successful extension of the contract and resolution of the

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<v Speaker 2>wage issues.

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<v Speaker 3>Do you think there's a chance that we can get

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<v Speaker 3>to the automative language of this before January fifteenth?

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<v Speaker 2>I think that the carriers, the operators, and the dock

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<v Speaker 2>workers know they have work to do to find an

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<v Speaker 2>acceptable outcome on that and many other issues. But I

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<v Speaker 2>have a lot of optimism now that they're talking to

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<v Speaker 2>each other, that they really made a good faith effort

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<v Speaker 2>on the wage piece and that moved these negotiations forward again.

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<v Speaker 2>They had not been speaking to each other for months,

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<v Speaker 2>and our interest was really getting the two parties back

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<v Speaker 2>to the bar table on the basis of a fair wage.

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<v Speaker 2>Don't forget these dock workers in the previous six year contracts.

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<v Speaker 2>Some years they got no wage increases at all. Other

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<v Speaker 2>years they got one dollar. Meanwhile, we had COVID, we

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<v Speaker 2>had dock workers really risking their lives to keep goods

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<v Speaker 2>moving on. Behalf of American consumers and businesses, and the

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<v Speaker 2>port and carriers really during this last few years had

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<v Speaker 2>record profits. And this is a deal that could give

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<v Speaker 2>workers their fair share after a period of having a

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<v Speaker 2>very little wage gain.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's a.

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<v Speaker 2>Nice important step forward. Of course, they have more work.

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<v Speaker 4>To do, Director brainer And I can say I'm really

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<v Speaker 4>impressed in your ability to focus with them mowing the

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<v Speaker 4>lawn and yelling behind you, because honestly, it's always sort

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<v Speaker 4>of unfathoma flow. They're always mowing the lawn there, So

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<v Speaker 4>thank you for that. I am wondering, though, Director of BRAINERD,

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<v Speaker 4>how much.

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<v Speaker 5>You see sort of necessity for workers to have to

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<v Speaker 5>be kind of flexible at a time of great change,

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<v Speaker 5>and that there are some technological changes that are more

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<v Speaker 5>easily implemented if companies have the ability to figure it

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<v Speaker 5>out as they go along to not necessarily be beholden

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<v Speaker 5>to contracts that are written in a different time. How

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<v Speaker 5>do you argue that labor negotiations should continue with organized

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<v Speaker 5>labor if companies need to have that suppleness at a

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<v Speaker 5>time of great change.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So, what I would say is when you look

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<v Speaker 2>at the contract that you saw on the West Coast Ports,

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<v Speaker 2>for instance, which was a very successful contract for workers

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<v Speaker 2>for all of the employers, it is a contract that

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<v Speaker 2>resolves those issues and moves forward. And I expect the

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<v Speaker 2>same is possible in the context of the collective bargaining

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<v Speaker 2>prices that now has been extended into next year on

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<v Speaker 2>the basis of a really strong wage offer. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>unions are more popular than they have been in decades,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think the President the Vice President are demonstrating

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<v Speaker 2>by their actions this is how we enable the collective

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<v Speaker 2>bargaining process to work. And the collective bargaining process does

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<v Speaker 2>reach fair wages for workers and also a set of

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<v Speaker 2>other really important agreements about how workers should have voice

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<v Speaker 2>in the way the business is organized. All of those

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<v Speaker 2>things are on the table, and we believe that we

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<v Speaker 2>have just enabled that collective bargaining process to continue in

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<v Speaker 2>a very productive way that's good for everyone. Most importantly

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<v Speaker 2>getting the ports back open so we can get those

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<v Speaker 2>supplies to areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

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<v Speaker 1>At Leasta is getting to a much broader philosophical point,

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<v Speaker 1>though direct to Brandon, that perhaps we can finish on

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<v Speaker 1>we are all vulnerable to automation. It is somewhat easier

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<v Speaker 1>to be so pro union when union membership is so low.

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<v Speaker 1>If it was a whole lot higher, would be far

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<v Speaker 1>more disruptive. We'd all be complaining about being vulnerable to automation.

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<v Speaker 1>How do you suggest that the American public should deal

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<v Speaker 1>with the increase of use in AI and automation over

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<v Speaker 1>the next several years. Should we all just go on strike?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 2>So, what's very interesting there is unions have actually worked

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<v Speaker 2>with the organizations representing employers on AI provisions. One of

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<v Speaker 2>the first contracts to directly address artificial intelligence was, of course,

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<v Speaker 2>the Writer's Contract, a really great contract which had language

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<v Speaker 2>that used AI as an enabler to enable writers to

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<v Speaker 2>actually be productive, but the creative direction in the hands

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<v Speaker 2>of humans. And of course I think those are the

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<v Speaker 2>kinds of principles that we have supported here at the

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<v Speaker 2>White House. You know, we've released principles. It's just important

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<v Speaker 2>for workers to be enabled, not displaced. It's important for

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<v Speaker 2>workers to be sitting alongside businesses in making sure they

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<v Speaker 2>work together on where AI should be used.

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<v Speaker 1>Much longer conversation for another time. We appreciate your time.

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<v Speaker 1>I know you can't talk about the payrolls report. It's

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<v Speaker 1>still to come. Director Brandon, thank you for your time.