The United Auto Workers (UAW) union is refusing to endorse President Biden’s reelection campaign until his administration addresses concerns arising from the electrification of the auto industry.
In a letter, newly-seated UAW president Shawn Fain spoke of the struggles labor could face in the wake of widespread electric vehicle adoption. “The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom,” he wrote, pointing to a series of factory closures in Detroit which had turned the world “upside down” for many auto workers. The chief also noted pay discrepancies between employees at EV and ICE facilities, referencing the Ultium Cells LLC battery factory built last August by General Motors and LG Energy Solution. The plant pays roughly $10-$16 less per hour than other GM work sites, a difference that Fain called “unacceptable.” In 2018, the union said the industry’s electrification efforts would erase 35,000 jobs from the market, although newer estimates have suggested lower numbers.
While the organization is staunchly democratic, its leaders intend to withhold support for Biden unless the White House makes a commitment to protect the interests of labor during the EV transition. “We’ll be ready to talk politics once we secure a future for this industry and the workers who make it run,” concludes Fain. However, if the administration fails to take adequate action, it is not presently clear who the 400,000-member union will endorse in the 2024 presidential race, as the UAW chief wrote off any possibility of support for Donald Trump’s reelection bid: “…another Donald Trump presidency would be a disaster,” the letter reads.
Fain was the narrow victor of a runoff election held earlier this year, unseating former UAW president Ray Curry. After a previous attempt failed to produce a candidate with majority support, the stalemate-breaking vote saw the incumbent’s campaign lose by only 500 votes out of the 141,500 ballots cast. Although the close race sparked allegations of cheating, Curry accepted the loss after a recount confirmed the original count.
