President Biden treaded lightly in response to the United Auto Workers’ decision to strike, which came after approximately 13,000 autoworkers left their jobs at midnight on Friday.
In order to help with discussions, Mr. Biden, who sees himself as the most pro-union president in recent history, announced that he would send two of his senior administration officials to Detroit. Julie Su, the acting secretary of labor, and Gene Sperling, a senior adviser, are flying to Detroit to negotiate a deal with the UAW and the businesses.
According to senior White House and political journalist Ed O’Keefe, Mr. Biden wants a settlement for UAW employees but understands that a protracted strike would be harmful for the American economy in the run-up to an election year.
“Let’s be clear, no one wants a strike. I’ll say it again — no one wants a strike,” the president said during remarks in the Roosevelt Room, insisting workers deserve a “fair share of the benefits they help create for an enterprise.”
While acknowledging that the parties involved have worked “round-the-clock,” Mr. Biden noted that while businesses have made “significant offers,” they still need to make more. Currently, among other things, the auto industry are proposing a 20% rise.
“Companies have made some significant offers, but I believe it should go further — to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts,” Mr. Biden said.
Following union officials’ failure to secure a new contract deal with Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, a strike was called. The UAW wants a four-day, 32-hour work week that pays the same as a five-day, 40-hour work week. They also want significant wage rises. Along with other requests, they also want greater paid time off and pension benefits rather than 401K savings schemes.
UAW President Shawn Fain stated in a Facebook Live presentation late Thursday night that this is the first time in UAW history that employees are striking simultaneously at all three corporations.
In the meantime, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims that Mr. Biden is partially to responsible for the UAW strike.
“The UAW strike and indeed the ‘summer of strikes’ is the natural result of the Biden administration’s ‘whole of government’ approach to promoting unionization at all costs,” Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Suzanne P. Clark said Friday.
In the days before the strike, Mr. Biden had conversations with UAW officials. On Labor Day, when asked if he was concerned about a UAW strike, Vice President Biden said, “No, I’m not worried until it happens.”
“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Mr. Biden said at the time.
Various other lawmakers are also speaking out. Democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown paid a visit to the picket line of the UAW on Friday.
“Today, Ohioans stand in solidarity with autoworkers around our state as they demand the Big Three automakers respect the work they do to make these companies successful. Any union family knows that a strike is always a last resort — autoworkers want to be on the job, not on the picket line,” Brown said.
