Joe Biden, facing a major strike in the auto sector, and Brazilian President Lula, a former union leader, will launch a “partnership for workers’ rights” on Wednesday, according to senior White House officials.
Like climate, labor law is “another area where there is some affinity (…) between our two presidents,” said a senior American executive branch official who requested anonymity.
“We are seizing this opportunity to have two presidents who are extremely aligned in their vision of an economy that serves workers,” another senior American official added.
This non-binding partnership should allow certain “key issues” to be addressed, such as forced and child labor, investor responsibility and discrimination in the workplace, she said.
The senior official stated that this initiative should be expanded to other countries.
Relations between the United States and Brazil have warmed significantly since the return of Lula, who succeeded far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
The Brazilian head of state was received at the White House at the beginning of the year.
During this visit, both Lula and Joe Biden presented themselves as defenders of democracy, which has recently been tested in both countries – on January 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol in Washington, and on January 8. January 2023, when a crowd loyal to former head of state Jair Bolsonaro stormed the institutions of Brasilia.
The announcement of the partnership for workers’ rights also has a domestic political dimension for the American president, who is running for a second term.
Joe Biden, who presents himself as an ardent union supporter, is facing an unprecedented strike that will hit the three major American automakers. He advocated a “fair distribution” of the “record profits” of these groups.