The UAW strike against Detroit automakers will help President Joe Biden and other politicians take sides on organized labor issues, UAW President Sean Fein said Wednesday night.
“I think our strike can reassert (Biden) the position of the working class in this country, you know, it’s time for the politicians in this country to take a position,” he said on CNBC’s “Last Call” with Bryan. sullivan. “Either you represent the billionaire class and everyone else gets left behind, or you represent the working class and working class people vote.”
The outspoken union leader reiterated that strikes against General Motors, Ford and / or star That wasn’t the goal when the contracts of some 150,000 auto workers expire after 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14, but the two sides remain far apart on key requirements.
UAW President Shawn Fain speaks to union members at the Unity Sunday rally in Warren, Mich., Aug. 20, 2023.
Michael Whelan/CNBC
“We’re at the last minute. We’ve got eight days,” Fein said. “We’re working on it. We’ve been on call 24/7 for the last seven weeks, so it’s up to the company where we end up and whether we end up having to act on the 14th.”
Fein said the union is scheduled to meet with GM on Thursday morning, following Wednesday afternoon’s meeting with Ford. Stellantis said Wednesday that it “intends to pass the UAW’s counteroffer on its members’ economic demands by the end of this week.”
Fein’s comments about Biden heightened tensions between historically Democratic coalition leaders and the commander-in-chief who calls himself “the most pro-union president you’ll ever meet.”
Earlier this week, Fein said he was “shocked” to hear Biden say he was “not worried about the strike before it happened” and that he “didn’t think it would happen.”
“He must know something that we don’t. Maybe these companies planned to walk in the night before and make our request to us. I don’t know, but he has a right to know something that I don’t know,” Fein told us. Reporters during a Labor Day event in Detroit.
The UAW has historically supported the Democratic Party. However, former President Donald Trump gained notable support from blue-collar auto workers during his presidential campaign. Fein said he believed Trump’s re-election “would be a disaster,” noting that unions need to “get our members organized and support pro-worker, pro-climate and pro-democracy political programs that bring peace to the working class.” Come benefit” “.
Then-presidential candidate President Joe Biden speaks against a backdrop of American-made vehicles and UAW logos as he speaks about new proposals to protect American jobs during a campaign event in Warren, Mich., Sept. 9, 2020.
Leah Millis | Reuters
Fein has previously said the UAW would hold off on supporting Biden for re-election until concerns about the auto industry’s transition to all-electric vehicles, such as job security, pay and organization, are addressed.
Fein reiterated Wednesday: “Our support is earned, not freely given, and our actions will determine who we support.”
A simultaneous strike against GM, Ford and Stellantis would be unprecedented. It would also mark one of the largest UAW strikes in recent years and could soon have ripple effects on the auto supply chain, the U.S. economy and domestic manufacturing.
GM reported at the time that the 40-day strike against GM during the final round of contract negotiations in 2019 cost the automaker $3.6 billion in earnings for the year.
The union’s current demands could also be costly if a tentative deal is reached. Key demands include a 40 per cent increase in hourly wages, a 32-hour workweek reduction, the restoration of traditional pensions, the elimination of compensation levels and the restoration of cost-of-living adjustments.
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