President Joe Biden said he plans to join United Auto Workers strikers in Michigan on Sept. 26 to support the union’s strike against the Big Three automakers, an endorsement that comes at a pivotal time for U.S. labor unions.
“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 wrote on X, formerly called Twitter, late Friday.
The UAW is demanding that more workers qualify for pensions. It is also calling for a salary increase of 40% over the life of the next contract, and other benefits for workers. The union has cited the auto companies’ ample profits and pay raises for executives.
Biden announced his trip hours after the UAW expanded its strike on Sept. 22, with more than 5,000 employees walking off the job at 38 distribution centers of
General Motors
(ticker: GM) and
Stellantis
(STLA). UAW President Shawn Fain said in a livestream that the UAW isn’t striking at additional Ford (F) facilities because “we’ve made some real progress” with them.
While the auto workers’ strike expands, negotiations in the Hollywood writers strike appear to have gained momentum. Members of the Writers Guild of America held three days of negotiations starting Wednesday with the heads of Hollywood’s major studios, but it isn’t clear when a settlement will be reached. Previously, top Democratic officials including California Gov. Gavin Newsom offered to broker a deal.
Politicians’ appearances at and involvement in union rallies are common as they seek to court labor’s support. Biden won the votes of about six in 10 union members in the 2020 election, according to Associated Press’ Vote Cast. The UAW hasn’t officially endorsed Biden’s re-election campaign but Fain extended an invitation to Biden to join the picket line during his livestream on Friday.
Former President Donald Trump is also set to come to Michigan on Sept. 30, the day after Biden’s appearance, to support UAW members. Trump suggested Biden copied his idea in a post Friday night on social-media platform Truth Social.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) joined striking UAW workers at a rally in Detroit on Sept. 15, and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joined workers on Sept. 16 outside the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich.
Stellantis said, following the strike expansion late Friday evening, that its offers, such as a cumulative total pay increase of 20%, are competitive. GM said the strike expansion was “unnecessary.”
Write to Karishma Vanjani at [email protected]
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