UAW President Shawn Fain, the face of the UAW strike against the “Big Three” automakers last fall, announced the union’s support at a conference in Washington, D.C.
As he introduced Biden to speak, Fain also noted the president’s support during the recent strike.
“He heard the call, and he stood up and he showed up,” Fain said, kicking off a chorus of “Joe!” chants.
“This choice is clear. Joe Biden bet on the American worker while Donald Trump blamed the American worker. We need to know who’s gonna sit in the most powerful seat in the world, and help us win as a united working class,” he added. “So if our endorsement must be earned, Joe Biden has earned it.”
Despite endorsing Biden in the 2020 election and historically supporting Democratic candidates, the union held off on an endorsement this time around. Fain initially raised concerns over the administration’s push to fund a transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers,” Fain wrote in a memo last May. “The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom. We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments.”
Biden, who casts himself as the “most pro-union president in American history,” made a high-profile visit to the UAW picket line amid the 2023 strike, a first for a sitting president.
Fain also noted several times Biden stood by autoworkers as far back as the 2008 recession and slammed former President Trump for criticizing the UAW.
“Rarely, as a union, do you get so clear of a choice between two candidates,” Fain said.
“Donald Trump is a scab,” Fain continued. “Donald Trump is a billionaire, and that’s who he represents. If Donald Trump ever worked in an auto plant, he wouldn’t be a UAW member. He’d be a company man trying to squeeze the American worker. Donald Trump stands against everything we stand for as a union.”
The Hill’s Julia Shapero has more here.
