On Wednesday night, former president Donald Trump brought his campaign to Michigan to purportedly support autoworkers. His message, however, wasn’t what many employees wanted to hear as the United Auto Workers (UAW) union prepared to extend its strike on Friday.
Trump stated his support for the UAW’s objective of achieving greater wages when speaking at Drake Enterprises, an interestingly enough non-union parts manufacturer, but added that ultimately it would not matter.
Trump added to an occasionally strangely hushed audience, “It doesn’t matter a damn bit what you get because in two years you’re all going out of business.
Trump claimed that the White House’s forced switch to electric vehicles would eliminate well-paying auto jobs and that union leadership was betraying the auto workers. “They’re going to shut down and start producing those automobiles in China and other countries. It’s a hit job on Detroit and Michigan, the president claimed.
However, Trump continued to seek the UAW’s support and made reference to this throughout the address. Tell your UAW leaders that they can support Trump without any issues, he added.
During Trump’s address, the reelection campaign for President Joe Biden released a statement denouncing his criticism of Biden’s policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act and incentives for EVs.
The Biden campaign released a statement saying, “Donald Trump is lying about President Biden’s agenda to distract from his failed track record of trickle-down tax cuts, closed factories, and jobs outsourced to China.”
Following Trump’s speech on Wednesday night, the UAW remained silent despite Shawn Fain, the union’s president, having spoken out strongly before Trump’s arrival.
In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Fain stated, “I see no purpose in meeting with him because I don’t think the man has any piece of compassion for what our workers stand for, what the working class stands for. “What’s wrong [with] this country is that [Trump] serves a billionaire class,”
Regarding the UAW strikes, a source confirms to Yahoo Finance that if significant progress has not been made in its negotiations with the Big Three, Fain would broaden his “stand up” strike approach coming Friday at 10 a.m. ET. (A “stand up” strike is one in which a small number of union members participate in picketing.)
With the exception of Ford since the UAW claimed to have made some headway with the Dearborn-based carmaker, Fain and the UAW last Friday extended their strikes to 38 GM and Stellantis components and distribution sites. Late on Wednesday night, the UAW announced that Fain will deliver a speech via Facebook Live at 10 a.m. ET.
Negotiations with the Big Three are still going on despite the prospect of additional strikes. According to CBS News, both parties have been in negotiations and Fain was due to meet with GM officials yesterday afternoon.
Ford also affirms that discussions are still going on. “Discussions are ongoing. Ford said in a statement, “Our emphasis remains on working tirelessly with the UAW to strike a contract that benefits our people and permits Ford to invest in a vibrant and expanding future.
Wall Street and the investor community have been attempting to determine how long a strike may persist and the UAW’s stand-up strike tactics. The strike has now lasted 14 days.
According to a note from Third Bridge analyst Shoggi Ezeizat earlier this week, the UAW’s selective strike strategy targets plants that make mid-sized SUVs, with a focus on facilities with average daily outputs of 900-1,100 units. This strategy carefully balances the union’s sustainability against the automakers’ potential losses. “Our experts predict that the strike will last between two and four weeks because continuing it longer could have a negative impact on regional businesses. It is anticipated that the strike’s popularity and political acceptance will decline, hastening negotiations.