UAW President Shawn Fain joins union members on a picket line outside the General Motors Willow Run Distribution Center in Belleville, Michigan, on September 26, 2023, as President Joe Biden Joe Biden ) spoke nearby.
Evelyn Hochstein | Reuters
President Joe Biden joined members of the United Auto Workers union on a picket line outside Detroit on Tuesday, urging strikers to continue fighting for a new contract with significant wage increases.
“The fact is, you, the UAW, saved the auto industry back in 2008, and before that, you made a lot of sacrifices and gave up a lot when the companies were in trouble, but now they’re doing a really good job,” Biden passed a megaphone told union members.
“You should do really well, too,” he said.
“Hold on. You deserve a big raise and other benefits,” said Biden, wearing a UAW hat. “We saved them, now it’s time for them to stand up for us.”
The White House dodged a question on Monday about whether Biden supports specific demands from UAW workers.
But when asked on the picket line on Tuesday if he thought workers deserved a 40% raise, Biden said “yes.”
U.S. President Joe Biden greets people on the UAW picket line outside the General Motors Willow Run Distribution Center in Belleville, Michigan, on September 26, 2023.
Evelyn Hochstein | Reuters
At the invitation of United Auto Workers President Sean Fein, the president traveled to the high-profile General Motors Redistribution Center outside Detroit. The plant is one of 38 parts and distribution centers in 20 states currently on strike.
Former President Trump will skip Wednesday’s second Republican presidential debate to attend a rally of workers at a nearby auto supplier.
Workers at the facility are not represented by the United Auto Workers, and Fein has been critical of Trump’s visit.
Fein spoke after Biden, thanking him for blocking, the first time in at least a century that a sitting president had joined the picket lines.
“CEOs think the future belongs to them,” Fein said.
“This day belongs to the working class auto workers… Mr. President, thank you for coming. We know the president will do the right thing for the working class.”
The UAW strike puts Biden in a difficult position politically.
Although he calls himself “the most pro-union president in American history,” the UAW need This is partly a response to his electric vehicle policy, which unions say will cost jobs.
In addition to seeking a 40% increase in hourly wages, autoworkers are also asking for a 32-hour reduction in workweeks; a return to traditional pensions; the elimination of compensation grades and the restoration of cost-of-living adjustments; and other items, including enhanced retiree, vacation and family leave Welfare.
The UAW, which represents 146,000 workers at General Motors, Ford and Chrysler owner Stellantis, is the only major union to insist on supporting Biden’s re-election.
The UAW has historically supported Democrats, and Fein has been an outspoken opponent of Trump’s policies.
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