Biden Stands With Striking UAW Workers In Wayne County

WAYNE COUNTY, MI — President Joe Biden stood side-by-side Tuesday with striking United Auto Workers outside the General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales Plant in Ypsilanti Township.

"Now they’re doing incredibly well and, guess what, you should be doing incredibly well too," Biden said speaking through a bullhorn while wearing a UAW hat.

"Wall Street didn't build the country, the middle-class built the country, and unions built the middle-class," Biden added. "So let's keep going. You deserved what you earned and you've earned a hell of a lot more than what you're getting paid right now."

Former President Donald Trump and Republican front-runner for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election is expected to address auto workers at an auto supplier plant in Macomb County on Wednesday.

Biden's visit comes after the United Auto Workers expanded the strike Friday to include 38 parts and distribution factories at General Motors and Stellantis in the U.S. The move came after Fain said the union made "real progress" in its talks with Ford Motor Company.

United Auto Workers Union Leader Shawn Fain said the automaker has agreed to several key demands proposed by the union, including pay, cost of living, profit sharing, job security as well as the right to strike over plant closures. No additional Ford facilities were asked to join the strike.

The historic UAW strike against Detroit's Big Three began on Sept. 8 after the union's contract expired without a new one in place. It's the first time ever the union launched a strike against all three automakers at the same time.

As of Tuesday, roughly 18,000 of the union's 146,000 workforce has walked off the job across multiple plants across the U.S. as part of what Fain called the "Stand Up Strike," which is a strategy to target specific plants.

Roughly 13,000 UAW workers initially walked off the job at three plants in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri. As of Tuesday, those workers were still on strike.

The union is calling on the automakers for a 46 percent wage increase and a 32-hour workweek for its members. The union also wants to eliminate the wage tiered system, restore cost of living adjustments, end temporary workers after 90 days and increase multiple retiree benefits.

Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have offered the union multiple proposals that included a 10 percent wage increase from GM, a 14.5 percent increase from Stellantis and Ford's 9 percent increase and a 6 percent lump sum added after. The union rejected all proposals.