President Joe Biden is tipping in his two cents while the United Auto Workers (UAW) negotiates a deal with General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis about four-year contracts.
As part of these talks, UAW President Shawn Fain wants the automakers to make compromises so that Biden’s Electric Vehicles (EVs) push won’t put American auto workers out of work and cut their pay, as has already happened.
The UAW wants Biden to make sure that GM, Ford, and Stellantis pay auto workers a middle-class wage when they move to electric vehicle (EV) plants in the future if they want billions of dollars in incentives paid for by taxpayers through the president’s Inflation Reduction Act. This is one of the UAW’s requests.
In a statement, Biden talked about a “fair transition” to EVs, but he didn’t make any promises to people who work in the car industry. Even though the UAW is worried, Biden said that the switch to EVs is necessary.
Biden said in a statement, “The need to move to a clean energy economy should be a win-win for both auto makers and unionized workers.”
“It should give workers good pay and benefits so they can take care of their families. It should also lead us to a future where the U.S. is the leader in reducing vehicle emissions and making cars that can compete both at home and abroad. Companies should use this process to make sure that their employees are involved in the next part of their industry by giving them well-paying jobs and a say in how their workplace will change.
“I want to be clear about where I stand as the Big Three car companies and the United car Workers get together to talk about a new contract one month before their current one ends. I want everyone to work together to find a fair solution.”
Already, though, Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has made a so-called “fair transition” very unfair, as it has helped automakers’ bottom lines while forcing car workers into more dangerous jobs that pay less.
Former President Donald Trump is the only Republican running for president. He wants to run again against Vice President Joe Biden and is actively trying to get the votes of car workers, since the UAW hasn’t backed the president’s re-election so far.
In particular, Trump has criticized Biden’s move to electric vehicles (EVs) as a gift to corporations that car workers will have to pay for.
Other GOP presidential primary candidates, such as former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), have done little or nothing to get the UAW’s support or win over its members.
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