It’s Friday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 10/04/2024:
10:00 AM In-Town Pool In-Town Pool Call Time |
11:00 AM Closed Press The President receives the President’s Daily Brief |
1:30 PM James S. Brady Press Briefing Room Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre |
Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre @1:30 PM D.C., time:
Longshoremen’s Tweet
From Thursday…
I applaud the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance for coming together to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 4, 2024
Collective bargaining works.
From ILA Union.org
10/03/2024:
Joint Statement Regarding Master Contract
The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues. Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume.
Joint Statement Regarding Master Contract. 10/03/2024.
From the White House…
10/03/2024:
Statement by President Joe Biden on ILA and USMX Agreement:
I want to applaud the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance for coming together to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports. Today’s tentative agreement on a record wage and an extension of the collective bargaining process represents critical progress towards a strong contract. I congratulate the dockworkers from the ILA, who deserve a strong contract after sacrificing so much to keep our ports open during the pandemic. And I applaud the port operators and carriers who are members of the US Maritime Alliance for working hard and putting a strong offer on the table.
I want to thank the union workers, the carriers, and the port operators for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding. Collective bargaining works, and it is critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.
Statement by President Joe Biden on ILA and USMX Agreement. 10/03/2024.
Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on ILA and USMX Agreement:
Tonight the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance came together to reach a tentative agreement that reopens the East Coast and Gulf ports, and I want to applaud all involved for their efforts. This step indicates progress toward a strong contract and represents the power of collective bargaining. As I have said, this is about fairness – and our economy works best when workers share in record profits. Dockworkers deserve a fair share for their hard work getting essential goods out to communities across America.
Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on ILA and USMX Agreement. 10/03/2024.
Hurricane Helene Tweets
From Thursday…
Tune in as I deliver remarks on my Administration's response to Hurricane Helene at a farm in Ray City, Georgia. https://t.co/vHVzA0dyTb
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 3, 2024
Remarks by President Biden on Response and Recovery Efforts Following Hurricane Helene | Ray City, GA; the YouTube is 19 minutes and 54 seconds long.
Hurricane Helene became one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit Florida and Southern Georgia. Families lost everything.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 4, 2024
And this wasn't the first time. They've experienced three of these storms in just over a year.
I grieve with you. And your nation has your back. pic.twitter.com/JZATWAti5z
Folks, a week ago, Hurricane Helene became one of the strongest hurricanes ever — ever to hit Florida and this part of Georgia. Roofs ripped off the buildings; massive trees crashed into powerlines, setting off loss of heat — electricity; flooding wiped out homes. We were just down in Florida to see homes that were — I mean, just wiped away. Just — there was an entire island gone.
Families — they lost everything including — including loved ones, including family members.
[snip]
And I want you to know: I see you, I hear you, I grieve with you, and I promise you we have your back. We’re going to stay until you’re restored.
Remarks by President Biden on Response and Recovery Efforts Following Hurricane Helene | Ray City, GA; the YouTube is 19 minutes and 54 seconds long. 10/03/2024.
Earlier today I walked Keaton Beach with a group of officials to survey what a 15-foot storm surge does to a coastal community.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 4, 2024
It’s going to take time to restore this neighborhood. But the federal government is staying until the work is done. pic.twitter.com/4HRvE6ib6e
First responders across Florida and Georgia have worked around the clock to provide aid and support to survivors of Hurricane Helene.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 4, 2024
They have my thanks – and the thanks of America – for their service and sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/ybpMFGiAQs
Earlier today, I was briefed by Florida officials on the damage, and I met with first responders who have been working nonstop to provide aid and support to survivors. I did a walking tour of Keaton Beach with a bipartisan group of officials to survey what a 15-foot surge — 15-foot surge — some places it went as high as three stories — does to a coastal community.
[snip–the closest to his tweet text]
And I want you to know: I see you, I hear you, I grieve with you, and I promise you we have your back. We’re going to stay until you’re restored.
Remarks by President Biden on Response and Recovery Efforts Following Hurricane Helene | Ray City, GA; the YouTube is 19 minutes and 54 seconds long. 10/03/2024.
From Friday…
I want to thank Governor Kemp of Georgia and all the officials who are intensely focused on helping people recover and rebuild. In moments like this, we put politics aside.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 4, 2024
There are no Democrats or Republicans – only Americans.
Our job is to help as many of them as we can.
I want to thank Governor Kemp, who I spoke with again this morning, and Senator Warnock, who is behind me; and
Senator[Representative] Austin Scott, Representative Sanford Bishop — old friends.In moments like this, it’s time to put politics aside. Again, it’s not one state versus others; it’s the United States.
[snip]
Our job is to help as many people as we can — as many as we can. And also, by the way, when you do that, I hope we begin to break down this rabid partisanship that exists. I mean that sincerely. There’s no rationale for it. There’s no rationale for it.
Remarks by President Biden on Response and Recovery Efforts Following Hurricane Helene | Ray City, GA; the YouTube is 19 minutes and 54 seconds long. 10/03/2024.
Jobs Report Tweet
From Friday…
Great news for American workers and families:
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 4, 2024
Today, we learned our economy gained over 250,000 new jobs in September and unemployment is back down at 4.1%.
With today’s report, we’ve created 16 million jobs, unemployment remains low, and wages are growing faster than prices.
From BLS.gov
10/03/2024:
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 254,000 in September, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in food services and drinking places, health care, government, social assistance, and construction.
Employment Situation Summary. 10/03/2024.
They note in their report that “Hurricane Francine” that made landfall on 09/11/2024; “had no discernible effect on national payroll employment, hours, and earnings”.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised up by 55,000, from +89,000 to +144,000, and the change for August was revised up by 17,000, from +142,000 to +159,000. With these revisions, employment in July and August combined is 72,000 higher than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)
Employment Situation Summary. 10/03/2024.
Economists had predicted about 150,000 “new” jobs would be reported.
From the White House…
10/03/2024:
Statement from President Joe Biden on the September Jobs Report
Today, we received good news for American workers and families with more than 250,000 new jobs in September and unemployment back down at 4.1%. With today’s report, we’ve created 16 million jobs, unemployment remains low, and wages are growing faster than prices. Under my Administration, unemployment has been the lowest in 50 years, a record 19 million new businesses have been created, and inflation and interest rates are falling. And we’re seeing the power of collective bargaining to lift up workers’ wages—including the progress made by dockworkers on record wages with carriers, and port operators and the reopening of East Coast and Gulf ports.
Make no mistake: We have more to do to lower costs and expand opportunity. Congress should pass our plan to build millions of new homes, expand prescription drug price caps, empower workers and protect the right to organize, and cut taxes for hardworking families. Congressional Republicans have a different plan—more giant tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations, ending the Affordable Care Act, undermining workers by cutting overtime and making it harder to organize, and imposing a national sales tax that would raise costs by nearly $4,000 per year. While they put billionaires first, we’ll keep fighting to grow the middle class.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the September Jobs Report. 10/03/2024.
The next Jobs Report will be released on 11/01/2024…
This is an open thread