COMP NEWS – President Joe Biden plans to join striking autoworkers from the United Auto Workers union, an unprecedented display of union solidarity by a sitting U.S. President.
In an unprecedented show of solidarity with organized labor, President Joe Biden will join the picket line of striking members of the United Auto Workers union outside of a production facility in Michigan on Tuesday. The Washington Post first reported the visit, and HuffPost independently confirmed it with a source familiar with his plans.
“It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs,” Biden said in a post announcing the visit on the social media app X later on Friday.
Biden’s announcement follows UAW President Shawn Fain’s remarks on Friday welcoming the president to stand with the union members at a picket line.
Biden already announced his support for the UAW’s strike against the “Big Three” U.S. automakers: General Motors, Ford and Jeep parent company Stellantis.
Biden is the first known sitting president to walk a picket line with striking workers.
It is also timed to undercut former President Donald Trump. The Republican front-runner is due to hold a rally with autoworkers and other union members in Detroit this Wednesday in lieu of attending the second GOP presidential debate.
The UAW entered their strike on September 15, with the aim of achieving major pay increases to reflect their employers’ record profits and executive salaries.
The UAW’s unprecedented, simultaneous strike against all three car companies ― General Motors, Ford and Stellantis ― expanded Friday as Fain announced that the union was dissatisfied with the progress it had made in talks with GM and Stellantis. The UAW is calling for, among other things, major increases in pay to reflect the companies’ record profits.
To read more about the UAW strike and President Biden’s trip there, click here.
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