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WASHINGTON/TOLEDO, Ohio, – U.S. President Joe Biden is set to travel to Michigan on Tuesday to express his support for the United Auto Workers’ strike against Detroit automakers. This move places him at the heart of a dispute that pits his labor allies against major manufacturers.
Biden, a Democrat, considers himself a pro-union president, and his visit to the state, a day before former President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit, underscores his backing of union workers’ right to engage in collective bargaining and take action.
“Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create,” Biden said on Friday in a post on social media. “It’s time for a win-win agreement that keeps American auto manufacturing thriving with well-paid UAW jobs.”
Biden is running for re-election in 2024 and is likely to face Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign criticized Biden’s trip to Michigan as “a cheap photo op.”
“The only reason Biden is going to Michigan on Tuesday is because President Trump announced he is going on Wednesday,” the Trump campaign stated on Friday.
On Friday, the UAW invited Biden to visit workers on its picket lines and announced an expansion of its Detroit strike to parts distribution centers across the United States at General Motors (GM.N) and Chrysler parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI). Ford Motor (F.N) has made significant progress in their talks, the company reported.
“It’s very rare for a president to visit strikers,” said Jeremi Suri, a historian and presidential scholar at the University of Texas at Austin. He added that even pro-labor Democratic President Jimmy Carter never visited a picket line. “This would be a major, major shift for Biden to identify the presidency with striking workers, rather than siding with industry or staying above the fray.”
NUMEROUS UNIONS ENDORSE BIDEN
While numerous unions have already endorsed Biden’s re-election, the UAW has withheld its endorsement for now. Biden emphasized that automakers should “go further to ensure record corporate profits translate to record contracts for the UAW,” echoing sentiments expressed by union leaders.
Both the Detroit Three and the UAW have a lot at stake regarding federal policy decisions. The automakers are relying on Washington for billions in subsidies for electric-vehicle production and are negotiating with the Biden administration over future emissions rules that mandate a rapid shift to EVs, which the industry deems too fast and expensive.
The union is concerned that the transition to EVs will lead to job losses as these vehicles require fewer parts in production.
Trump plans to travel to Detroit to speak at a rally advertised for auto workers, aiming to win back some blue-collar voters who defected to Biden in his 2020 victory. Trump has called for rank-and-file union workers to ignore their leaders.
FIGHTING THE BILLIONAIRE CLASS
It remains uncertain if Trump will visit the picket lines. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain criticized Trump earlier in the week, stating that the union was “fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.”
The last U.S. president to show such strong support for striking workers was likely Theodore Roosevelt, Suri said. In 1902, Roosevelt invited striking coal workers to the White House to discuss the coal shortage the country was facing.
Workers on the picket lines have mixed feelings about whether Biden should visit. Some believe politicians should stay out of the fray, while others welcome the support if the strike continues.
“Personally, I wouldn’t mind if Biden stepped up and showed some support,” said Laura Zielinski, 55, of Toledo, Ohio, noting Biden’s visit to the Stellantis Toledo assembly plant in 2010 while he served as vice president.
“Support like that would put a spotlight on the talks – kind of give a nudge to the companies.”
Thomas Morris, 60, who was on a picket line in the Philadelphia suburbs, said he appreciated Biden’s support for unions and calls for corporations to share record profits with workers and consumers. He would love to see Biden join. “It would bring a lot of publicity and help the fight,” Morris said.
