Guest
President Joe Biden finds himself in a tough spot between his “Union Joe” persona and his aggressive climate goals as the United Auto Workers prepare to strike. The UAW, which represents 146,000 workers at General Motors , Ford and Stellantis NV ’s North America branch, is ready to strike if their demands are not met by the time their contract expires on Sept. 14. The union is asking for a 46% increase in pay, a 32-hour workweek with 40 hours of pay and the return to a traditional pension system. Negotiations are not going well. When General Motors on Thursday proposed its largest four-year wage increase in decades, the UAW’s president called the offer “insulting.” The demands are in part a response to Biden’s electric vehicle policies, which the union says will cost jobs. Proposed Environmental Protection Agency standards for 2027-2032 call for 67% of new vehicles to be electric by the end of the timeframe, in part resulting in a 56% emissions cut. Biden frequently calls himself “the most pro-union president in American history” and his administration has played a role in resolving several union disputes. Biden on Wednesday had representatives from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association at the White House to celebrate the recent signing of a new contract, which the administration played a role in facilitating. The UAW is the only major union yet to endorse Biden for re-election. The union has historically supported Democrats and endorsed Biden in 2020. Speaking on CNBC’s “Last Call” Wednesday, UAW President Shawn Fain said, “Endorsements are earned, not freely given. And actions are going to dictate what we endorse.” Regardless of endorsement, a strike would heavily impact states key to a Biden re-election, like Michigan and Pennsylvania.
