Exclusive-As US navigates summer of strikes, Biden's top labor adviser exits, source says

investing.com:

By Nandita Bose

(Reuters) -President Joe Biden's top labor adviser, Celeste Drake, has stepped down, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, as the administration attempts to maintain labor peace and avoid threatened strikes during an election year.

Drake is leaving the White House to serve as the Deputy Director-General of the International Labor Organization (ILO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, and starts in her new role on Aug. 14, according to the source, who did not wish to be named.

The ILO did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Drake's departure comes at a critical time for an administration dealing with a summer of labor unrest, with estimates from national labor unions showing more than 650,000 U.S. workers were on or threatened strikes in the first half of 2023.

Hollywood actors and writers are currently on strike, and auto worker unions last month warned they are prepared to do the same unless Detroit's Big Three automakers — General Motors (NYSE:GM), Ford Motor (NYSE:F) and Chrysler parent Stellantis — agree to fair contracts. Workers at UPS and its Teamsters union just signed a tentative labor deal.

Biden, 80, is tying his 2024 re-election bid to the health of the economy, highlighting job growth, rising wages and easing fears of a recession. Any major strike, especially of a key link in the supply chain or industry, could hurt the Democratic president's pitch.

At the White House, Drake advised Biden and his team on labor negotiations that had a direct impact on the country's supply chain and the economy, current and former White House officials said.

She carried the title of deputy assistant to the president as well as deputy director of the White House's economic