The UAW president said the transition to electric vehicles must be a just transition, and if the U.S. government is going to use taxes to fund its policies, American workers cannot be left behind. The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike against the three U.S. auto giants (Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis) entered its third day. Eager to end the strike, Stellantis has proposed a 21% wage increase for workers, but UAW President Shawn Fain remains unmoved.
On Sunday, local time, Fein said on a TV show that Stellantis's attempt to convince the union to stop the strike with a mere 21% wage increase was "completely impossible," indicating that the differences between the union and Detroit auto executives are still wide.
On Friday, organized by the UAW, autoworkers in three states of Michigan, Ohio and Missouri launched local strikes. If the strike spreads to more factories, it will cause billions of dollars in losses to the three giants.
As the 2024 presidential election is approaching, the UAW strike is very sensitive. The Biden administration and the Democratic Party hope to get votes from labor unions, but at the same time, Biden is also an active promoter of the electrification transformation of the U.S. auto industry.
Electrification is the No. 1 crisis that UAW workers have to deal with—the shift to electric vehicles is likely to reduce the number of jobs in the auto industry and lower worker benefits.
Fein repeatedly stressed in Sunday's interview that American workers should not bear the cost of the electrification transition.
He emphasized that the transition to electric vehicles must be a just transition, and if the U.S. government wants to use taxes to fund policies, American workers cannot be left behind.
Finn said on Sunday's show:
“We expect actions, not words.”
Some analysts believe that the target of Fein's speech is the American political arena, hoping to use the election situation to allow the political circles to put pressure on automobile companies to reach an agreement that is beneficial to the union.
Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell told the media that her state is "very competitive" in the 2024 vote.
She said:
"When we get a good deal that keeps America strong, keeps our workers strong, I think we know who they're going to support. They're going to support the people who are helping American workers."