(New York) US President Joe Biden on Monday pleaded for a “win-win” deal following ongoing negotiations between US automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, which could lead to a strike in september.
“I support a just transition to a clean energy future,” Biden said in a statement released exactly a month before labor contracts between the UAW and Detroit’s Big Three automakers (General Motors, Ford and Stellantis).
The union, and its newly elected president Shawn Fain, have openly adopted a posture of firmness towards the manufacturers, demanding in particular substantial wage increases or even a standardization of working conditions in favor of new entrants.
Many experts estimate the probability that at least one of the groups will suffer a strike in the fall is high. The last dates back to 2019, at General Motors.
Mr. Biden stressed that automakers must provide well-paying jobs, “avoid plant closures” and ensure “fair” treatment of employees during technological change.
“The UAW helped build America’s middle class, and as we move forward in this transition to new technologies, the UAW deserves a convention that supports the middle class,” Biden said.
The American president, who considers himself a defender of workers, has strongly defended their right to unionize and has already won support from several unions for his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.
But the UAW has yet to take a position on the matter.
Fain, who met with the Democratic president in July at the White House, has repeatedly criticized the US executive for not doing enough to ensure employees benefit from the transition to electric vehicles.
