Republican lawmakers are taking advantage of the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike as a potential lifeline in Michigan to reclaim the Senate and the White House.
The GOP is seeking the UAW walkout to win in the state, where politically weakened Republicans are planning ways to take advantage of the tension between Democrats' clean-energy agenda and their pro-labor roots.
United Auto Workers Strike
Additionally, United States President Joe Biden is pressing for more electric vehicles to achieve his climate goals. However, workers who produce parts such as batteries for those vehicles are often non-union and make less money for their efforts.
In a statement, Rep. Lisa McClain said that the Biden administration caused the recent development by pushing policies that killed off people's jobs. She argued that putting climate change policies over people is ridiculous.
In recent cycles, Democrats dominated in statewide races, with Biden winning in 2020 and the left retaking the state legislature and governor's mansion. On the other hand, the Republican Party is largely in shambles in the state, and the national party has not won a Senate seat in Michigan since 1994, as per Politico.
While it's still too early to know just how long the UAW strike might go on, the walkout has already added building pressure on Biden to work with both sides to reach a deal before 150,000 union members across several other states make similar efforts that would potentially spur major economic consequences.
Republican campaigns and national party leaders will monitor the state of play and polling in the coming days and weeks as they determine how much to lean into attacks on the left's clean energy agenda.
Former United States President Donald Trump is also jockeying for a UAW endorsement for his 2024 White House campaign run. The Republican, weighing a trip to Michigan, urged the union to place the repeal of Biden's Electric Vehicle mandate at the top of their list of demands.
Demand for Higher Wages
The UAW strike argues that workers should get salary increases if Detroit's three automakers raised CEO pay by 40% over the past four years. UAW President Shawn Fain repeatedly cited that the CEO wage increase contrasted with the 6% pay raise autoworkers received since their last contract in 2019. According to the Associated Press, the union has since lowered its demand to a 36% wage increase, but the two sides remain at an impasse.
UAW leaders also demand a four-day workweek, more paid time off, and pension benefits. Fain said that their demands are just and noted that they are asking for their fair share in the economy and the fruits of their labor.
On Saturday, Chrysler's parent company, Stellantis, said it had put a cumulative 21% wage increase on the table, with an immediate 10% raise upon a formal agreement. In response, the UAW president said that the offer was a no-go.
According to CBS News, Fain added that autoworkers were fed up with falling behind, arguing that companies had massive profits in the last decade while workers were going backward.
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