The White House will no longer dispatch two key officials to Detroit, Michigan, this week to aid in the negotiations between automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) amid an ongoing strike, according to a statement obtained by various media.
Last week, President Joe Biden announced that Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Senior Adviser Gene Sperling would be dispatched to Detroit to provide support as the UAW and auto manufacturers aimed to reach a resolution.
However, on Tuesday, a White House official said that this will not happen this week, as the administration closely monitors the status of negotiations between the two parties remotely.
“Given that negotiations are ongoing between the negotiating parties, it is most productive for Sperling and Su to continue their discussions from Washington and allow talks to move forward, and we’ll continue to assess travel timing based on the active state of negotiations,” a White House official said in a statement obtained by various media.
The official reportedly reiterated the president’s previous stance of supporting UAW workers and that he believes that the “record corporate profits” should translate into “record contracts” for the UAW.
The Epoch Times contacted the White House for further comment.
UAW-represented auto workers initiated a strike at select factories last week after failing to secure an agreement with General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—the Big Three automakers.
The union’s demands include increased compensation and benefits, as well as addressing the future of union workers in light of the industry’s transition toward electric vehicle manufacturing.
UAW President Criticizes Trump
This news comes soon after UAW President Shawn Fain criticized former President Donald Trump in a statement after reports emerged that the 2024 GOP frontrunner plans to skip the second GOP primary debate to give a speech to autoworkers in Detroit.President Trump has been critical of Mr. Fain, along with President Biden’s plans for electric vehicles, as he courts autoworkers on the campaign trail.
In his statement, Mr. Fain said that “every fiber” of the union has been fighting “the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers.”
“We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding [of] what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class,” Mr. Fain said.
Meanwhile, President Trump has said that while he doesn’t know Mr. Fain, he knows of him, and believes he’s not doing “ a good job in representing his union,” in light of his belief that “he’s not going to have a union in three years from now.”
“Those jobs are all going to be gone, because all of those electric cars are going to be made in China,” President Trump said in a recent interview on NBC.
Biden Urges Fairness in Negotiations
The UAW, which endorsed President Biden in 2020, has withheld its endorsement this time due to tensions over President Biden’s electric vehicle push despite his self-proclaimed stance as “the most pro-union president.”Last week, President Biden addressed the ongoing contract negotiations between the UAW and the Big Three auto companies, emphasizing the need for fair and equitable agreements that benefit workers.
In remarks delivered from the Roosevelt Room of the White House, President Biden acknowledged his engagement with both parties, emphasizing the contributions of UAW workers to the success of the auto industry. He noted that despite the industry’s record profits in recent years, these gains have not been adequately shared with the workforce.
“Unions raise workers’ wages, ... increase homeownership; increase retirement savings; increase access to critical benefits, like sick leave and childcare; and reduce inequality—all of which strengthen our economy for all workers,” President Biden said in the Sept. 15 statement.
While President Biden has positioned himself as the most pro-union president in history, he has simultaneously championed incentives for electric vehicle production as a component of his climate agenda. In his Sept. 15 statement, the president highlighted the ongoing transition to a “clean energy future” and stressed the importance of ensuring a “win-win” outcome for both auto workers and auto companies during this transition.
