President Joe Biden announced Friday he will join the picket line and “stand in solidarity” with the men and women of the UAW “as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create.”
The President tweeted that “it’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs.”
The announcement comes after UAW President Shawn Fain asked the President at noon to join his workers on the picket lines as the union calls for a better compensation plan for its members. The union expanded its strike Friday to 38 parts plants, including 10 from Michigan, in its fight for a better compensation package.
“We invite you to join us and be part of this fight,” Fain said.
With the UAW making progress in its negotiations with Ford, the union opted not to expand its strike in a way that impacts Ford. Instead, Fain is targeting suppliers for General Motors and Stellantis since negotiations between these two car companies aren’t as far along.
The union and Ford Motor Company agreed on the following proposal:
- The Rawsonville Components and Sterling Axle employees will be on the same wage tier.
- The reinstatement of a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) from 2009.
- The right to strike over plant closures. In the event of an indefinite layoff, workers will receive a salary for up to two years with health care. This applies to all employees with 90 days of service, including temporary workers.
- Enhanced profit sharing formula that would have resulted in a 13.3% increase for the average employee in payouts last year.
- Immediate conversion of all temporary workers who have been on the job at least 90 days.
This means six GM plants in Michigan – Pontiac Redistribution, Willow Run Redistribution, Ypsilanti Processing Center, Davidson Road Processing in Burton, the Flint Processing Center in Swartz Creek, and Lansing Redistribution in Lansing.
For Stellantis, that’s the Centerline Packaging plant and the Centerline Warehouse in Center Line, Sherwood in Warren and Warren Parts in Warren.
Speaking on Michigan’s Big Show this week, Michigan Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Holcomb said his members are getting more concerned as the strike moves past a week. Suppliers are needing to lay off employees because there isn’t any work to be done, he said.
This not only impacts the employees but also the businesses on which these employees typically spend money – stores, and restaurants.
“We’re just hoping people get a little more realistic in their negotiations,” Holcomb said. “None of our members are talking about four-day work weeks, returning to pensions and 40% wage increases.”
In response to news on Biden, former President Donald Trump’s campaign advisor Jason Miller said Biden’s trip is “nothing more than a cheap photo op as he finds himself between a rock and a hard place.”
“The only reason Biden is going to Michigan on Tuesday is because President Trump announced he is going on Wednesday,” Miller said. “If President Trump had said nothing, Biden would be giving UAW workers in Michigan ‘the East Palestine treatment.’”
“Biden is still hell-bent on destroying all of the auto jobs he’s purporting to care about. His visit on Tuesday is completely meaningless unless he withdraws his Insane EV Mandate and rebukes his Green New Deal, which Biden will never do because he’s beholden to the Radical Left Eco-Loons in California,” Miller added “Joe Biden cares more about his extremist liberal base than he does about auto workers in Michigan or anywhere else in the United States.”
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
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