Biden making unprecedented move by joining UAW picket line

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23 thoughts on “Biden making unprecedented move by joining UAW picket line

  1. The same Joe Biden, who supported and signed the Inflation Reduction Act that literally guaranteed a 30% reduction in UAW workers by pushing the green EV agenda!

    1. Steve R.

      Exactly right. The legislation will reduce the need for UAW production.
      Not to mention that the Big Three Auto makers will be paying much more
      per hour for wages and benefits than the non union manufacturers. This will only strengthen the non union car makers competitive edge.

      There’s a reason why the auto manufacturing plants and suppliers have located
      in the Right To Work States, ( probably over 95 %).

      There’s also a reason why not one of the non-union auto makers have unionized.

    2. Let me guess, Automakers have a loophole to get out from under the unions if they build new plants and would have done it long ago if the unions hadn’t stopped them. So investing in EV technology to create the manufacturing in the US is Biden’s union busting move?

      I can see the unintended consequences.

    1. Kevin P.

      + 1

      I read an article that 53% of the people support the strikers. I’m guessing
      the bulk of those supporting the strikers are too young to know about the
      UAW overreach that devasted entire cities like Anderson, Muncie, Marion,
      Richmond, Gary, and so many others.

    2. Keith B. ~ A new Gallup poll says 75-percent of Americans support the UAW’s strike and its demands. That accounts for a lot more people than those who are “two young” to think otherwise. And by the way, it was Japanese imports that caught American automakers off guard – which resulted in the closures of plants in the Indiana cities you cite.

    3. Brent B.

      I’ll bet the bulk of those that support the strikers are young people.
      Probably 40 and under. They didn’t live through the 20 some thousand UAW jobs that left Anderson, or the 20 sone thousand that left Muncie, and tens of thousands that left other cities throughout Indiana and other Industrial Midwest
      States.
      Union over reach and greed killed those jobs. Democrats protected them because they are the their largest donnars

      Thank your Democrats for protecting inefficiency in exchange for campaign donations.

      Yes, the Japanese made huge inroads into the U.S.car market particularly during the second oil embargo in the late 70’s. I remember those years very well.
      I also remember rediculious union work rules that hamstrung productivity
      and the rediculious benefits and legacy benefits that hurt the big three,

      The Japanese came in at the right time during the oil embargos with cars that
      were much more efficient on gas.

      Demanding a 40% increase in pay along with a 32 hour work week, along with
      the other demands is NOT financially feasible. The Big Three can NOT compete
      with the nonunion auto companies with that.

      Remember, that the unions were also the ones that pushed for the two tiered
      wage system.

    4. What makes you think the Big 3 ever supported him anyway?

      Biden did the right thing here. And the claims above regarding green jobs….hilarious.

  2. Whether one is pro-Union or not, the issue in this strike is the over-the-top demands of the UAW. In addition to a 40% pay increase, the demand for 40 hours of pay for 32 hours of work amounts to an additional 20% pay increase. On top of this 60%, increase,the union is also asking for annual cost of living increases. Finally their demands include the return of full pensions, the most expensive demand of all.

    Not that the union will ever get all of this, but if they did, the long term negative competitive impact on the Big3 would end up hurting the UAW,

  3. When it comes to who is to blame for the loss of industrial jobs in this county and auto worker jobs in particular, no one group has totally clean hands. However, some have more responsibility than others

    And let’s not forget that the dollar bill has no conscience or loyalty. And it will go where it is best served regardless of the damage to the communities it leaves behind.

    And it is abundantly clear that it is the corporations and the politicians who are beholden to them, who control where that dollar bill goes to get the highest profit. Not a good or reasonable profit on investment but the highest profit.

    While the UAW is not perfect, they have done more to create the middle class and support communities and are continuing those efforts in this current strike.

    1. First, I’m not anti union. Unions do protect workers from bad management
      and abusive managers.

      But unions also protect bad workers at the expense of productivity and proficiency.

    2. Rick S.

      Unions do protect workers from bad management and abusive managers.

      Give the unions credit where credit is due and but they must also take responsibility for their short comings. That’s only being honest.

      I worked in a truck dock environment for almost 27 years. It was a very harsh
      environment in the cold and the heat under abusive makers and conditions.
      In all that time I never once worried about what the CEO compensation.

      Last, does anyone remember who the profits belong to?? The profits belong
      to the shareholders. That is finance and economics 101.

  4. Your economics 101 is Carl Ican‘s premise theory that shareholder value return is the only purpose for a corporation to exist. Ignoring. Other investors. Being the workers whose toil produces the products at the expense of their time and risking their health . And the communities who invested in the infrastructure the corporation benefits from to make their operations possible. Before Carl Ican. There was the common good stakeholder corporation model that worked to provide a return to all of the input investors. Not just the Money financiers .
    Now when the financiers are not sated they dump the other stakeholders and leave a toxic brownfield mess for the abandoned community to deal with.

    1. When cities invested in infrastructure, they received jobs. Good paying jobs
      at that.

      The workers toil at a job that agreed to with management. The agreement is
      for X amount of labor for X amount of compensation.

      The shareholders are anyone that has a pension, 401 K, IRA or any other form
      of retirement account, or investment. It’s not just a few fat cats wallowing on
      a huge pile of money. ** It’s hundreds of millions of shareholders. The vast majority
      are middle class. **

      I worked a very physically demanding blue collar labor job for 27 years. Most
      of the time in a very demanding environment. Not one time did I ever worry about
      what the CEO was compensated or think that I was owed the profits.
      My agreement was for X amount of pay & benfits for X amount of labor.
      As it should be.

      I have no problem with the unions negotiating for fair compensation. But the
      current demands are very reminiscent of the overreach from decades ago that
      put the Big Three at a competitive disadvantage. The result was the loss of
      Hundreds of thousands of blue and white collar jobs that devastated entire
      cities.

  5. Yes Keith, there are times the Union represent “bad members”. Why because the law dictates they represent all members.

    Flash! Management hires the members of Unions. If the Union did, they would have a better screening committee.

    1. Nancy H.

      Lol….Nonsense!

      The unions play a big part in the screening process whether they want to admit
      it or not.

      Used to be you had to be related or know several people to get on at a union plant. I knew many guys that I wouldn’t have trusted to push a broom get hired
      in the UAW plants because they had connections through the UAW.

      That said, it doesn’t mean that management is off the hook either by any stretch either.

    2. I want the Big Three to be successful and the workers rewarded for their
      hard work.

      Right now the Big Three have around 50% of the domestic market. They only
      have very small market shares overseas. So the U.S. market is their bread & butter.
      How competitive do you think the Big Three will be if they consent to all the
      UAW demands.
      G.M. along would be paying $ 165. per hour in hourly pay and benefits per worker. That’s much more than the non-union plants that are paying,
      probably around $ 55 to 65 dollars per hour in wages and benefits
      per hour per employee ).

      The costs have to be passed on.

    3. Best example of this is the police….

      The union only exists to protect the bad apples it seems

  6. Of course, individual Union Representatives/hourly members and Salary workers from time to time can put in a good word to get someone hired.

    It doesn’t guarantee one and from time to time it actually may hurt a persons chances. This applies to almost every sector of our economy. Always has and always will. It’s called life.

    Also the Union as an entity, has never determined who gets hired let alone play a big part in the process.

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