UAW leader refutes Biden’s strike avoidance claims.
The United Auto Workers Leader Pushes Back Against President Biden’s Claims
The leader of the United Auto Workers is pushing back against President Joe Biden’s claims that an impending strike is unlikely, saying that the union is focusing on reaching an agreement with automakers.
“One thing we’ve said from the outset is things are not going to be as they always have been,” he said. “The companies in past negotiations always have a tendency to drag things out until the very end, and then they want to drop a bunch of stuff and just scramble,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “And I’ve told them from Day One that we don’t intend to do things that way.”
Potential Strike Looms
“So you know, the way things are going right now, it’s looking that way,” he continued, referring to a potential strike. “So hopefully, you know, things can change.”
Biden dismissed concerns of a possible strike earlier this week as he headed to Philadelphia to deliver comments at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 19 celebrating Labor Day and honoring unions at the Annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade.
“No, I’m not worried about a strike until it happens,” the president said. “I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Union’s Bargaining Plans
Fain stressed that the union plans to bargain with all three Detroit automakers, General Motors, Ford Motor Co., and Stellantis, ahead of the contract expiration on Sept. 14. UAW voted in favor of a strike if demands are not met by next week.
UAW has withheld its endorsement of Biden for his reelection campaign, despite endorsing him in 2020. Fain said on Thursday that the union is standing by its decision to withhold an endorsement until he addresses certain concerns, including the auto industry’s transition to electric vehicles, job security, pay, and organizing.
“We’ll make the decision when the time is right — when our members decide that time is right, and our leadership,” Fain said. “And, you know, it’s a process we go through. The one thing we’ve made clear is that our endorsements are going to be earned, not freely given. It’s one thing we’re doing differently, and there’s a lot of work left to be done here.”
He said that Biden, who describes himself as the most pro-union president, had good intentions “when he said he wants these to good-paid, or these to be union jobs.”
“But as I said, you give the company an inch, they take a mile. The companies interpret that as they have no problem with this being union jobs, but they want it to be a race to the bottom,” Fain said, referring to slow pay increases in the past.
General Motors’ Offer and UAW’s Response
General Motors released a statement on Thursday stating that it had “progressed to more detailed discussions” in the talks and made the union an offer ”considering everything in our environment including competitor offers and what is important to our team members,” according to NBC News.
The offer includes “well-deserved wage improvements” that exceed a 2019 agreement, the motor company said.
However, Fain called the offer “insulting” in a statement to the outlet.
“After refusing to bargain in good faith for the past six weeks, only after having federal labor board charges filed against them, GM has come to the table with an insulting proposal that doesn’t come close to an equitable agreement for America’s autoworkers,” Fain’s statement said.
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