The United Auto Workers strike has garnered national attention after President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump made recent trips to Michigan to speak about the state of the auto industry, labor and the economy.
Trump held a rally near Detroit Wednesday night that he claims was in support of the union. However, the rally took place at Drake Enterprises, a non-unionized auto parts supplier, and there are questions of how much of the crowd was actually unionized. UAW’s leader Shawn Fain said he did not plan to meet with Trump; he actually slammed the former president on his anti-union decisions as president.
“I see no point in meeting with him [Trump] because I don’t think the man has any bit of care for what our workers stand for and what the working class stands for,” Fain told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. “He serves a billionaire class and that’s what’s wrong with this country.”
During the rally, the American Bridge 21st Century PAC flew a plane over Detroit with a banner saying “TRUMP SOLD US OUT.” They also directed voters to visit a website containing research into Trump’s anti-union legislation and decisions as president. And despite his record, Trump made several false claims about being an ally of labor while he routinely criticized Biden.
“Joe Biden claims to be the most pro-union president in history. Nonsense,” Trump said in his speech. “Think of it. His entire career, just think of it. His entire career has been an act of economic treason and union destruction. He’s destroyed unions, shipping millions of American jobs oversees while personally taking money from foreign nations hand over fist.” Despite Trump’s claims, he was responsible for appointing several anti-union individuals to positions of power while he was president. Neil Gorsuch, a Trump-appointed Supreme Court justice, was the deciding vote in a 2018 decision that dealt a major blow to public sector union funding.
And contrary to Trump’s argument that Biden is anti-union, Fain and the striking auto workers welcomed Biden to the picket line when he made his way to Detroit on Tuesday to voice his support of the strike. Using a megaphone, Biden praised the workers for their efforts while criticizing the auto companies who are seeing record profits.
President Joe Biden speaks to striking UAW workers at the picket line: “The fact of the matter is you guys saved the automobile industry … Now they’re doing incredibly well, and guess what? You should, too.” pic.twitter.com/q8btJs0DPI
— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) September 26, 2023
Trump held his rally an hour before the Republican debate, which took at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif. and broadcasted on Fox Business.
UAW announced a strike on all three major auto manufacturers on Sept. 15 at plants owned by General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (owner of Chrysler). Last week, Fain expanded the efforts to 41 facilities in 20 different states, with plans for more pressure on Friday if negotiations don’t result in a deal.