U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event announcing a new White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, September 22, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
President Joe Biden announced his upcoming visit to Michigan next week to show his support for the United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes.
In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Biden said, “On 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.”
This announcement followed UAW boss Shawn Fain’s invitation to Biden to join the striking autoworkers.
Biden’s visit is scheduled just 24 hours before former President Donald Trump’s arrival in the state to show his own solidarity with the autoworkers.
Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, recently announced that he would skip the GOP primary debate in California to visit Detroit and deliver a speech to UAW members.
Biden has been on the side of the autoworkers since September 15, when the UAW initially targeted three key plants in Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio.
During a brief address, Biden stated, “Record profits at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis have not been shared fairly, in my view, with the workers.”
As negotiations with the automakers made little progress, the strike expanded, with Fain targeting additional plants.
During a Facebook Live stream, Fain announced that workers will strike at every parts and distribution facility run by General Motors and Stellantis, affecting 38 locations across 20 states in nine regions.
Ford was spared from the strike because they demonstrated a serious commitment to reaching an agreement, according to Fain.
Biden, who often emphasizes his middle-class upbringing, has positioned himself as the most pro-union president in American history. As he seeks a second term in office, winning Michigan, a heavily unionized swing state and the traditional heart of the U.S. auto industry, is crucial for him.
However, unlike Biden, Trump aims to drive a wedge between the striking UAW workers and union leaders like Fain. Michigan played a significant role in Trump’s 2016 victory and his loss to Biden in 2020.
Speaking to NBC News, Trump claimed, “The autoworkers are being sold down the river by their leadership. Their leadership should endorse Trump.”
Fain, pushing back against Trump’s attempts to make inroads with UAW, referred to the former president as one of the union’s enemies.
After the announcement of Trump’s trip to Michigan, Fain said, “Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.”
Fain has also expressed reservations about the White House’s role in mediating an agreement with the automakers.
During an interview with MSNBC, Fain stated, “This battle is not about the president. It’s not about the former president or any other person prior to that. This battle is about the workers standing up for economic and social justice and getting their fair share because they’re fed up with going backwards.
Although the UAW endorsed Biden’s 2020 bid for the White House, they have not yet backed his reelection campaign.
