In an extraordinary show of support for organized labor, President Biden said he would join workers in Michigan on the front lines of their strike against leading automakers.

This is a really big deal; it’s been a very long time since we saw a President explicitly siding with labor over capital in a dispute like this.

  • clearedtoland@lemmy.worldEnglish
    283·
    9 months ago

    There is little to no precedent for a sitting president joining striking workers on a picket line.

    Seth Harris, a former top labor policy adviser for Mr. Biden, said he was not aware of any president walking a picket line before.

    Openly siding with Labor. That’s a bold declaration for any politician, especially the president. President Chad.

  • Anamnesis@lemmy.world
    14·
    9 months ago

    I’m not a huge fan of Joe Biden, but this is definitely a good move. Can you imagine Obama having done this?

  • NataliePortland@lemmy.caEnglish
    131·
    9 months ago

    I applaud the President for this and his support of unions. Worker’s rights are only going to become more important in our future. I’m proud to see this historic time where more unions have been formed in America than ever this year. All major republican voices are anti-labor and anti-union, ideas which cause direct harm to hardworking Americans whose livelihoods depend on hard honest work. They don’t want immigrants taking our jobs? they don’t want people using drugs, looting stores, becoming homeless? Then they need to be helping those who want to work be able to sustain themselves honestly. I work for Kaiser Permanente and we are gearing up for a strike too and I’m ready. My union has raised enough money that they will even be able to pay us while striking. It may not match 100% but it will be excellent help and our collective bargaining power is going to be great not only for workers but for all patients who visit our facilities. We cannot care for you 100% without being well-staffed and supported.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    3·
    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    “We invite and encourage everyone who supports our cause to join us on the picket lines, from our friends and family all the way to the president of the United States,” Mr. Fain said in a Friday morning speech streamed online.

    Mr. Fain on Friday announced the expansion of the U.A.W.’s work stoppage from three facilities to 38 assembly plants and distribution centers in 20 states, including six — Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina and Georgia — that are expected to be presidential battlegrounds in next year’s election.

    Earlier Friday, Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign posted on social media a video of Republican presidential candidates and Fox News anchors bemoaning his support for unions.

    Mr. Biden has referred to himself as “the most pro-union president in American history” and has long made his alliances with and support for organized labor a central part of his political identity.

    Mr. Trump is skipping next week’s Republican presidential primary debate and instead delivering a speech in Michigan before current and former union workers.

    Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina — who, like the rest of the Republican presidential candidates, trails far behind Mr. Trump — sought to inject himself into the news cycle about the strike this week by suggesting that the autoworkers should be fired, a move the companies are legally prohibited from carrying out.

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