September 27, 2023
Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to stand up with us in our generation-defining moment.
President of the United Auto Workers union, Shawn Fain, after President Joe Biden’s visit to the union’s picket line in Michigan on Tuesday.
The Big Picture: As the United Auto Workers strike hit its 12th day on Tuesday, President Biden joined picketers at a General Motors parts distribution facility in Michigan. This is likely the first time a sitting president has joined a union picket line, according to reports. President Biden said he thinks union members, “should be able to bargain for” a 40% pay raise – one of the union’s requests. In his speech to the strikers, he said: “You guys, the UAW, you saved the automobile industry back in 2008 … you made a lot of sacrifices. You gave up a lot. And the companies were in trouble. Now they’re doing incredibly well and guess what? You should be doing incredibly well.”
President Biden has not been endorsed by the UAW in his 2024 presidential campaign.
Also To Note: Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit autoworkers at Drake Enterprises, a nonunion manufacturer in Detroit on Wednesday, one day after President Biden’s visit to picketers at GM and the same day as the second presidential primary debate for Republicans.
Read More:
Biden urges striking auto workers to ‘stick with it’ in picket line visit unparalleled in history
Biden says UAW should fight for 40% pay raise in Michigan strike visit
by Jenna Lee,
