(NewsReady.com) – President Joe Biden has sold himself as a champion of America’s working class. During his presidency, he managed to help avoid a railroad workers strike that would have crippled the nation. However, he might not have the same success with the United Auto Workers (UAW).
The UAW has been negotiating a new contract for weeks with the Detroit Big 3 — General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. According to a POLITICO report, the powerful union that represents 150,000 people is frustrated with Biden’s position on electric vehicles.
The union is mad at Biden because he has reportedly not made sure the money from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), his massive infrastructure bill, is going to union workers. UAW President Shawn Fain issued a statement saying that his union will not endorse Biden’s reelection until he makes sure that union members benefit from the green energy transition to electric vehicles.
Fain stated, “Actions are going to dictate endorsements…we have a lot of issues to resolve.” He explained that hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on the transition to electric vehicles, and “workers cannot continue to be left behind in that equation.”
Bob King, the former president of the UAW, claimed the union’s members feel as though the Democratic Party has abandoned them. He pointed to former President Bill Clinton’s decision to sign the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which many people blame for jobs being sent overseas. The auto industry was one of the biggest losers when those jobs left the country.
King said he believes there’s a part of the Democratic Party that’s more concerned with serving corporations than average workers.
Gene Sperling, a White House adviser, claimed the president understands and agrees that workers should share in the benefits of the IRA. He claimed Biden has “laser focused” on making sure that auto workers with union jobs have the first shot at moving into the new positions created by the electric transition. However, the administration has not gotten involved in the negotiations with the automakers.
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