Several unions that eagerly endorsed President Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election are now learning the hard way what it means to support Democrat policies.
During his first day in office, the newly-inaugurated president revoked the construction permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, thus destroying thousands of jobs.
And not just any jobs — but union jobs.
TC Energy Corp., the Canadian company that shares ownership of the pipeline with the Alberta government, had estimated that 10,000 jobs — in addition to the 1,000 already established — would be created in 2021 alone thanks to the construction of the pipeline.
A total of 42,000 jobs were expected to be filled once the pipeline was completed.
But not anymore.
Biden cancelled the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Just a stroke of the pen for Joe but now 42,000 union jobs are gone, American independence on oil is gone and we are back to depending on foreign nations. Im looking at every Republican “do-gooder” right now.
— Ray Denaro (@RayDenaro) January 21, 2021
In response, several once unabashedly pro-Trump unions lashed out.
“In revoking this permit, the Biden Administration has chosen to listen to the voices of fringe activists instead of union members and the American consumer on Day 1,” Mark McManus, the president of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters said in a statement Thursday.
“Sadly, the Biden Administration has now put thousands of union workers out of work. For the average American family, it means energy costs will go up and communities will no longer see the local investments that come with pipeline construction.”
But the problem is that the union endorsed Biden last year and repeatedly promoted his agenda:
We don't sit on the sidelines at the UA. That's why we're endorsing @JoeBiden.
On infrastructure, energy, retirement security, and union rights, Joe will make sure UA members have a seat at the table – and he'll help us win more work with good wages and benefits. pic.twitter.com/Up9VymMrO4
— United Association (@UAPipeTrades) August 17, 2020
"This endorsement is about putting UA members to work and fighting for fair wages and good benefits. Under a Biden Administration, that’s exactly what we’ll get," said General President Mark McManus.
Read more on our endorsement: https://t.co/1vLpFxfLCz
— United Association (@UAPipeTrades) August 17, 2020
The same holds true of the North American Building Trades Unions.
“North America’s Building Trades Unions are deeply disappointed in the decision to cancel the Keystone XL permit on the President’s first official day in office. Environmental ideologues have now prevailed, and over a thousand union men and women have been terminated from employment on the project,” union president Sean McGarvey said in a statement Thursday.
“On a historic day that is filled with hope and optimism for so many Americans and people around the world, tens of thousands of workers are left to wonder what the future holds for them. In the midst of a pandemic that has claimed 400 thousand American lives and has wreaked havoc on the economic security and standard of living of tens of millions more, we must all stand in their shoes and acknowledge the uncertainty and anxiety this government action has caused.”
Yet just like the UA, this union also endorsed Biden last year. And then when he won the 2020 election, the union went on to celebrate as if Biden is some sort of hero.
Look:
Joe Biden has officially surpassed the popular vote Barack Obama had in 2008. He’s now gotten more votes than ANY presidential candidate in history.
Track the live election results here: https://t.co/MM4gCq1PsT pic.twitter.com/Cz4Gus0klP
— The Building Trades (@NABTU) November 4, 2020
And then there’s the Laborers’ International Union of North America.
“The Biden Administration’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline permit on day one of his presidency is both insulting and disappointing to the thousands of hard-working LIUNA members who will lose good-paying, middle-class family-supporting jobs,” union president Terry O’Sullivan said Wednesday.
“By blocking this 100-percent union project, and pandering to environmental extremists, a thousand union jobs will immediately vanish and 10,000 additional jobs will be foregone.”
Now here’s how the union behaved last year:
#LIUNA proudly endorses @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris for President & Vice President. As we celebrate #LaborDay2020 and remember the strife & struggle of those who came before us, Biden & Harris stand out as the blue-collar candidates.
Read more: https://t.co/8TFh0Zc4Oz pic.twitter.com/HoTAMeYHOI
— LIUNA (@LIUNA) September 7, 2020
Elections MATTER. Elect candidates that will fight for good jobs! #LIUNAVotes2020
Your union SUPPORTS Vice President Joe Biden. Learn more: https://t.co/w7I1V1hW0V pic.twitter.com/5sWrYRGexR
— LIUNA (@LIUNA) October 13, 2020
Together, we helped push Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over the top, and we helped elect many pro-union, pro-labor, and pro-family candidates to office. #1u #LIUNAVotes2020 #Election2020
READ STATEMENT HERE: https://t.co/GlqiqjoDI4 pic.twitter.com/h2ixGp2LnU
— LIUNA (@LIUNA) November 7, 2020
The union was right. Elections do matter — and they have consequences. And the consequences for these three unions will be thousands of lost jobs.
After then-President Barack Hussein Obama won reelection in 2012, Fox News host Sean Hannity bluntly warned that Americans deserve the government they vote for.
“Americans, you get the government you deserve. And it pains me to say this, but America right now deserves Barack Obama. You deserve what you voted for. I know half the country didn’t vote that way, but Americans deserve the government that they want and they deserve,” he said.
“Four years ago, the public could be excused for voting for Obama because, frankly, he was a blank canvas…. Now he is a known entity. And just barely over 50-percent looked at his pathetic record and decided they wanted more of the same.”
Nine long years later, it seems clear now that the American people did not heed his warning.
On Twitter(dot)com you can watch people's individual lives be destroyed as Joe Biden costs them their jobs.
And this is still technically day one. 🌈 pic.twitter.com/I8cc3TS4Oe
— crabcrawler (@crabcrawler1) January 21, 2021
Story cited here.