Biden to Join UAW Strikers on Picket Line
WASHINGTON — Hours after United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain invited President Biden to join the picket line with UAW workers, Biden said he plans to do just that next week.
“Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create,” Biden said via X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.
“It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs,” the president said.
The union is currently on strike against the nation’s three largest automakers — General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.
During a Facebook Live broadcast earlier on Friday, Fain said, “We invite and encourage everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket line, from our friends and families all the way up to the president of the United States.”
Currently roughly 19,000 UAW workers are on strike seeking higher wages and benefits from the automakers.
Last week, Biden dispatched two administration officials, Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and White House Senior Advisor Gene Sperling, to Detroit “to offer their full support for the parties in reaching a contract.”
“No one wants a strike. Say it again: No one wants a strike,” Biden said on Sept. 15. “But I respect workers’ right to use their options under the collective bargaining system. And I understand the workers’ frustration.
“Over generations, auto workers sacrificed so much to keep the industry alive and strong, especially through the economic crisis and the pandemic. Workers deserve a fair share of the benefits they helped create for an enterprise,” he said.
The president also said he believes that when a contract agreement is ultimately reached, it “must lead to a vibrant, made-in-America future that promotes good, strong, middle-class jobs that workers can raise a family on — where the UAW remains at the heart of our economy and where the Big Three companies continue to lead in innovation, excellence, quality and leadership.”
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
