Biden, Trump to woo union workers in Michigan as auto strikes grow
By Nandita Bose, Nathan Layne and Jarrett Renshaw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Joe Biden and Donald Trump will speak to striking auto workers in rare back-to-back events in Michigan this week, highlighting how important unions are to the 2024 presidential election, even though they represent a tiny fraction of U.S. workers.
Biden will join striking United Auto Workers (UAW) members on a picket line in Wayne County, Michigan at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, which labor historians said is the most support shown for striking workers by a sitting president in at least 100 years.
Republican rival Donald Trump, the front-runner to be his party's 2024 presidential candidate, will address hundreds of workers at a gathering at an auto supplier in a Detroit suburb on Wednesday.
Biden said on Monday that the UAW gave up «an incredible amount» when the auto industry was struggling and the union «saved the automobile industry,» an apparent reference to a 2009 government bailout that included wage cuts.
«Now that the industry is roaring back they should participate in the benefits,» he said.
UAW President Shawn Fain is expected to join Biden at the picket line on Tuesday, said a source familiar with the matter. The union is not involved with Trump's visit and Fain does not plan to attend that event, the source added.
To date, the UAW has declined to support either 2024 presidential candidate, making it the only major union not to back Biden.
«We are a long way from the general election, but it sure feels like the general election,» said Dave Urban, a Republican strategist who previously worked for Trump.
UAW workers this month began targeted strikes against General Motors (NYSE:GM), Ford (NYSE:F) and Chrysler parent Stellantis
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