Biden Joins UAW Strikers on Picket Line in Michigan

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Facts

  • US Pres. Joe Biden on Tuesday joined United Auto Workers strikers on their picket line at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse in Michigan, encouraging them to keep fighting for a 40% raise despite concerns that a prolonged strike could harm the economy.1
  • Though lawmakers and presidential candidates often appear at walkouts, this is reportedly the first time in American history that a sitting president has ever walked a picket line to show support for an ongoing strike.2
  • UAW members have been on strike since Sept. 15 after the union and the Big Three automakers — Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis — failed to reach a deal before contracts expired, affecting 41 facilities nationwide.3
  • This historic trip to the battleground state of Michigan ahead of the 2024 election comes as Biden faces consistently low approval ratings and the looming threat of a government shutdown this week.4
  • On Wednesday, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump will address hundreds of autoworkers at a non-union supplier in a Detroit suburb — an event that UAW President Shawn Fain reportedly doesn't plan to attend.5
  • These rare back-to-back events underscore the electoral importance of the Midwestern Rust Belt, where blue-collar workers such as UAW members form a crucial voting bloc.6

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Business Insider, 3CBS, 4CNN, 5Reuters and 6BBC News.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. This historic visit to the UAW picket line attests to the truth of Biden's self-proclaimed staunch pro-union stance, sending a powerful symbolic message in support of striking workers and stressing the rising influence of organized labor in the country. His decision is likely to give UAW members more leverage in negotiations while also calling out right-wing false populists.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. As Biden sees his polling numbers sinking deeper ahead of the 2024 election, he is desperately trying to secure an endorsement from the UAW — one of the biggest private sector unions in the country. That is precisely why he decided to take sides in this union negotiation. Yet, walking the picket line does not change the fact that his pro-EV policies and economic mishandling have harmed working-class Americans.

Predictions