Biden arrives in Detroit to make history on UAW picket line
This post was originally published on AutomotiveNews.com
President Joe Biden on Tuesday plans to become the first sitting president in modern history to join a picket line, in an extraordinary show of support for the UAW on the 12th day of its strike against the Detroit 3.
Biden, who has billed himself as the most pro-union president ever, has echoed UAW chief Shawn Fain’s call for record contracts from the automakers.
“The women and the men of the UAW deserve a fair share of the value they’ve been able to help create,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said en route to Michigan, where Air Force One landed shortly after noon. “Record profits should lead to a record contract. That’s what he believes.”
Fain invited Biden to the picket line last week, when he expanded the strike against General Motors and Stellantis. Fain so far has withheld his endorsement of Biden as the president seeks reelection, saying the union’s support would be “earned, not freely given.”
Fain also has kept the White House at arm’s length during the negotiations. He was unenthusiastic about Biden’s previous plan to send aides to Detroit to intervene, a plan that was later abandoned.
Jean-Pierre said Biden did not have any meetings scheduled with auto executives while in Michigan.
Biden also visited a UAW picket line in 2019, when he was running for president and the union was on strike for 40 days against GM.
Stellantis, in a statement, said it had already matched Biden’s call for a record contract.
“Here are the facts: 21.4% compounded wage increase, $1 billion in retirement security benefits, inflation protection measures, job security and more,” the company said Monday in a statement. “Unlike the non-unionized transplants and EV startups who comprise the majority of the U.S. market, Stellantis relies on the collaboration between management and labor to ensure that our company remains competitive, and, therefore, sustainable. That is a position we have proudly embraced.
“But it also requires a balanced agreement that fairly rewards our workforce for their contribution to our success, without significantly disadvantaging Stellantis against our non-union competitors. We stand ready to sign a record contract that positions our company to continue providing good jobs here at home and be the winner as the U.S. transitions to an electrified future.”
Ford, in its own statement Monday evening, insinuated that it did not want outside help at the bargaining table.
“Ford and the UAW are going to be the ones to solve this by finding creative solutions to tough issues together at the bargaining table,” the company said. “We have a shared interest in the long-term viability of the domestic auto industry, the industrial Midwest and good-paying manufacturing jobs in the U.S. That’s what’s at stake, so we are going to stay focused on reaching a deal that is fair to our employees and enables us to invest and grow.”