On September 26, 2023, the United Auto Workers (UAW) started a strike protesting their low and stagnant wages. President Joe Biden showed his support for the UAW workers and he made history because he was the first president to join a picket line during an ongoing strike.
The executive branch of government has always been known for breaking up strikes, not joining them. Many people believe that this was done to not only gain support for his re-election campaign, but also in defiance of former president Donald Trump’s visit to Michigan instead of attending the nationally televised Republican debate. President Biden has also been reluctant to support all of the demands of the union, including basic demands like wage increases.
Even with the support of Biden agreeing with a 40 percent raise for auto workers, Shawn Fain, UAW president, has not officially supported Biden’s re-election. Biden has previously said that he wanted to avoid a strike with the railroad workers, which did not please both the Michigan democrats and the auto workers in Michigan where the UAW strike was taking place. Fain has also stated that he wanted Biden to be more passionate about supporting the UAW’s cause. Fain’s frustrations were also made public on why he did not agree with the handling of the strike. Birmingham senior Chloe Stansfield stated, “We need to make sure everyone gets paid equally because if they don’t, that will get spread to other industries.”
UAW plans to see a 36 percent hourly increase in their wages over the next four years. This comes after many CEOs of automakers have seen an increase in their salaries and earnings but workers have seen very little to no increase in their wages. UAW is also planning to get improved health care benefits.
All these demands are being curtailed because many automakers are saying that the demands are too expensive for them to function. Stellantis, General Motors, and Ford have all fallen victim to the union protest. Ford has been spared from future protests because according to the UAW president, they have done more to meet the demands of the striking workers. Overall, these recent strikes have proven that people in different industries have gotten tired of their low wages and not catching up with inflation and the high cost of living.
