On Tuesday, President Biden took an extraordinary step by joining striking autoworkers on their picket line, a move not previously seen from a current U.S. president. He expressed his support for the United Auto Workers (UAW) at a General Motors site in Van Buren Township, Michigan. Using a bullhorn, he addressed the workers alongside the union’s leader, Shawn Fain.
“Wall Street wasn’t the foundation of our nation. It was the middle class that laid the groundwork, and it was the unions that fortified the middle class,” Biden, donning a baseball cap and a casual sweater, expressed to the protesting workers.
“Stay strong; you’ve earned your rights, and you should be receiving far more than your current compensation,” Biden declared, receiving applause from the crowd.
He stood in unity with members of UAW Local 174, who were clad in red and held placards stating “UAW on strike” and “preserving the American dream.”
“The UAW played a pivotal role in rescuing the auto industry back in 2008 and even before that,” he remarked. “You made significant concessions and compromises when the companies faced challenges. Now that these companies are thriving, you should be prospering as well,” he emphasized.
