President Joe Biden's habit of describing himself as "the most pro-union president in American history," could cause him problems if the United Auto Workers union goes on strike.
The UAW has threatened to place its 146,000 workers at some of the country's largest carmakers on strike unless their demands are met by Sept. 14, when their current contract expires. Their demands include a 46% pay increase, a 32-hour work week with 40 hours of pay, and bringing back the old pension system.
CNBC notes that these demands come partly in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed standards for emissions that call for 67% of new vehicles to be electric by the end of 2032, which the union claims will cause them to lose jobs.
UAW President Shawn Fain told CNBC that a strike would force politicians to "pick a side. Either you stand for a billionaire class where everybody else gets left behind, or you stand for the working class. The working-class people vote."
The UAW has not endorsed Biden in his re-election bid despite having been endorsed by the union in 2020, and Fein said in the interview that "Endorsements are earned, not freely given. And actions are going to dictate what we endorse."
Fain's comments came after Biden remarked on Monday that he was "not worried about a strike until it happens," and added, "I don't think it's going to happen."
Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, hit out at Biden's electric vehicle policies in a statement on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to win over auto workers.
"There is no such thing as a 'fair transition' to the destruction of these workers' livelihoods and the obliteration of this cherished American industry," Trump said. "Union leadership must decide whether they will stand with Biden and other far-left political cronies in Washington, or whether they will stand with front-line autoworkers and President Trump."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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