President Joe Biden joined a picket line with striking autoworkers in Belleville, Michigan, on Tuesday, backing their demands for significant raises and telling workers to "stick with" the ongoing strike against Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.
The president's appearance at an organized union strike marks the first visit by a U.S. president alongside striking workers in modern history.
Donning a union baseball hat, the President championed striking United Auto Workers (UAW), saying that they deserve a "significant raise and other benefits."
"Stick with it because you deserve a significant raise and other benefits to take back what you lost," Biden said.
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Referring to the 2009 government bailout of U.S. automakers that included wage cuts for autoworkers, Biden said that workers "should be doing incredibly well, too."
"The fact of the matter is that you guys, the UAW, you saved the automobile industry back in 2008 ... you made a lot of sacrifices," Biden said in a bullhorn. "You gave up a lot. And the companies were in trouble. But now they’re doing incredibly well and guess what? You should be doing incredibly well, too."
"Stick with it," the president continued to resounding applause from strikers.
When asked if UAW members deserved a 40% raise, one of their demands over the course of negotiations, Biden said: "Yes. I think they should be able to bargain for that."
The White House has insisted that administration is "not going to get into negotiations," saying that Biden is "always going to stand on the side of the workers."
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"He is pro-UAW. He is pro-workers. He has said that the middle class, that unions, built the middle class," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday. "This is something that he said over and over again. He's always been on the side of workers... He's always going to stand on the side of workers, always."
UAW President Shawn Fain thanked Biden for join in their "generation-defining moment."
"Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to stand up with us in our generation-defining moment," said Fain.
"We do the heavy lifting. We do the real work," Fain continued. "Not the CEOs."
Biden's visit comes on the 12th day of continued negations between the UAW and Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
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Along with pushing for pay increases, strikers have been pushing for making all temporary workers at the automakers permanent, cost-of-living adjustments, increases in pension benefits for current retirees and restoring pensions for new hires, among other benefits.
