UAW President: Companies Got Billions from Inflation Reduction Act, Workers Haven’t

On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” UAW President Shawn Fain talked about endorsing a candidate in the 2024 presidential contest and demands to the White House around guarantees for employees around electric vehicle provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act and stated that “it’s back to the same old story. When the corporations come to the government with their hand out, the government always delivers billions and billions of dollars. But when the working class people show up and say, we want our share, we want our equitable share, there’s always a reason why it can’t happen.”

Host Bianna Golodryga asked, “You are clearly not afraid to break the mold here, and one of those issues is involving an endorsement for the Democratic president, in this case, President Biden and his endorsement for his re-election. Is an endorsement from your union contingent upon a deal with the White House on these specific demands that you have related to his Inflation Reduction Act, and that is subsidies for electric vehicles? You would like some contingencies based upon that for guarantees for employees too.”

Fain responded, “Well, it’s back to the same old story. When the corporations come to the government with their hand out, the government always delivers billions and billions of dollars. But when the working class people show up and say, we want our share, we want our equitable share, there’s always a reason why it can’t happen. When it comes to endorsements, our endorsements are going to be earned. And so, actions speak louder than words. So, we will make endorsements when the time is right and we feel like the candidates have shown and have delivered for our member’s needs and for the working class[‘s] needs.”

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