President Biden to join UAW picket line in Michigan, a day before Trump
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden will travel to Michigan to show support for the United Auto Workers’ strike against Detroit automakers, putting him in the center of the dispute that has pitted his labour allies against major manufacturers.
Biden, a Democrat, sees himself as a pro-union president, and his visit to the state, a day before former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be there, will underscore his support for union workers’ right to take action and engage in collective bargaining.
Biden posted on X, “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. It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs.”
Biden is running for re-election in 2024 and will likely face Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign said Biden’s trip to Michigan was “a cheap photo op.”
“The only reason Biden is going to Michigan on Tuesday is because President Trump announced he is going on Wednesday,” the Trump campaign said in a statement late on Friday.
The UAW on Friday invited Biden to visit workers on its picket lines and said that it would expand its Detroit strike to parts distribution centers across the United States at General Motors (GM.N) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI). The company said it has made real progress in talks with Ford Motor (F.N).
The UAW on Friday expanded its strike to include all 38 parts distribution facilities at General Motors and Stellantis — but not additional plants at Ford, where negotiators have made progress.
The work stoppage began a week ago when the union shut down a GM plant in Missouri, a Ford factory in Michigan, and a Stellantis site in Toledo, Ohio. Those plants remain on strike. Biden has called on the automakers to deliver “record contracts” after earning “record profits” in recent years, but he also said after the strike began that the automakers had made “significant offers”.
The union responded by saying “the White House is afraid” of its movement. Biden wants the automakers to produce more electric vehicles to up his campaign on climate change. The union also wants more EVs, but is concerned it could lead to fewer unionized jobs.
The three Detroit automakers have a workforce of over 150,000 UAW-represented employees at dozens of factories in the US, making popular vehicles like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Jeep Wrangler.
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