President Biden announced that he would join workers in Michigan on the front lines of their protest against major manufacturers in an unparalleled display of support for organised labour.
In one of the most important expressions of presidential support for striking workers in decades, Vice President Biden said he would go to Michigan on Tuesday to “join the picket line” with UAW members who are protesting the nation’s top automakers.
Mr Biden tweeted on Friday on X, the platform that replaced Twitter, “Tuesday, I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of U.A.W. as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create.”The trip is set to come a day before Mr. Biden’s leading rival in the 2024 campaign, Donald J. Trump, has planned his own speech in Michigan, and was announced hours after Shawn Fain, the union’s president, escalated pressure on the White House with a public invitation to Mr. Biden.
In a Friday morning speech that was live-streamed online, Mr. Fain stated, “We invite and encourage everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket lines, from our friends and family all the way to the president of the United States.”
It was unclear where Mr. Biden would travel in Michigan right away. The White House had already announced that Mr. Biden will go to the West Coast for three days starting on Tuesday, including a flight to California. According to two people familiar with the White House discussions, Mr. Biden made the choice on Friday following Mr. Fain’s open offer.
On Friday, Mr. Fain announced the expansion of the U.A.W. work stoppage from three facilities to 38 assembly plants and distribution centres in 20 states, including six that are anticipated to be key states in the race for the presidency in 2016: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia. Michigan, the home of the American automotive industry, is home to the bulk of the facilities and striking workers. A sitting president joining a picket line of striking employees has rarely, if ever, happened before.
Presidents have never before walked a picket line, according to Seth Harris, a former top labour policy adviser to Vice President Biden.
According to Mr. Harris, “This president takes seriously his role as the most pro-union president in history.” “That sometimes means going against precedent.”
Earlier on Friday, Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign shared a video of Fox News analysts and Republican presidential contenders criticising his support for unions on social media. Mr. Biden’s caption said, “Yes.”
A week into an increasing work stoppage by autoworkers at Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis facilities, Mr. Fain received an invitation. The walkout, which started last week at three plants in the Midwest, will now affect 38 additional locations across 20 states, according to the union president’s announcement on Friday. He claimed that while negotiations with General Motors and Stellantis had not materially advanced, Ford had gone above and above to accede to the union’s demands.
Since the strike started last week, Mr. Biden has stood up for the striking autoworkers, and the White House has sent Julie Su, the acting secretary of labour, and Gene Sperling, a key economic adviser, to try to put an end to the walkout.