Autoworkers are girding for a long strike in the wake of flatgorund visits by President-elect Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump.
The two visited the Midwest this past week, but have both had drastically different response from the autoworkers. Biden was met with warm support and offered a detailed plan for how to navigate the current crisis facing autoworkers, while Trump had to hastily backpedal after offering a meager one million dollar plan to those affected by the prolonged strike.
Since November 2019, employees of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler have been on strike, essentially locking out their employers and preventing other workers from entering the facilities. The main grievance for autoworkers has been their demand of fair wages and healthcare access.
So far, both companies have refused to meet the demands of the United Autoworkers (UAW) union, instead offering more labor flexibility and profit-sharing plans rather than pay increases. In response, UAW President Rory Gamble has announced a Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service of the government to intervene in the dispute in order to help reach a resolution.
Both Biden and Trump have pitched different plans of action, but without the intervention of mediation, the strike will continue to remain a stalemate. While Biden has proposed $15 billion for the workers’ wages and benefits and protecting pensions, Trump offered a more minimalistic one million dollar plan to those affected by the strike.
With the prospects of a long strike and potentially an even longer mediation process, the future for America’s autoworkers remains uncertain. It is the hope of the UAW that Biden’s detailed plan for economic revitalization will provide the way forward and lead the country into a stable recovery. Regardless, the impact that the strike has had will remain a major factor in rebuilding the economy post-pandemic.