United Auto Workers (UAW) has filed a labor complaint against Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) after he suggested that auto workers be fired for lawfully striking against General Motors (GM), Ford, and Stellantis.
Thousands of UAW members are currently on strike against the Big Three, pushing to secure a new labor contract that includes wage increases to keep up with inflation and commitments that their jobs will not be eliminated by President Joe Biden’s Electric Vehicles (EVs) agenda.
RELATED — UAW Pres.: Companies Are Exploiting Biden EV Push to Have “Race to the Bottom” on Wages
When asked about the striking auto workers on Monday, Scott suggested they be fired.
“I think Ronald Reagan gave us a great example when federal employees decided they were going to strike. You strike, you’re fired. A simple concept to me. To the extent that we can use that once again, absolutely,” Scott said.
UAW leadership has filed a formal complaint against Scott, accusing him of violating the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) by threatening auto workers with employment termination despite their lawful right to strike.
The Intercept reports:
On Thursday, Shawn Fain, the president of UAW, filed a complaint claiming that Scott’s utterance violated federal labor law. Under the National Labor Relations Act, anyone can file a charge against an employer, even if they do not work for that employer. [Emphasis added]
The complaint accuses Scott of violating the section of the NLRA that lays out employees rights to participate in labor actions: “Within the past six months, the employer has interfered with, restrained, or coerced employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7 of the Act. On Monday September 18, 2023 Tim Scott threatened employees with adverse consequences if they engage in protected, concerted activity by publicly responding to a question about striking workers as follows: ‘You strike, you’re fired.’” [Emphasis added]
As Breitbart News detailed, Scott’s attempt to invoke Reagan regarding the striking auto workers is a far stretch from the former president’s reality when air traffic controllers violated the law and walked off their jobs in 1981 — spurring a national security issue.
UAW members hope to score higher wages that keep up with inflation under Biden while also making sure their jobs are not eliminated entirely as a result of Biden’s rapid push to eliminate gas-powered vehicles and switch to EVs.
RELATED — UAW Member: I Won’t Vote for Biden Again; EV Subsidies Are Being Used Against Workers
Increasingly, Republican voters side with union workers against multinational corporations with massive pay disparities between executives and employees.
In 2019, when UAW members led a strike against GM for a fairer contract, only 25 percent of Republicans said they backed the union against the automaker. Today, 35 percent of Republicans support the UAW against the Big Three — a ten-point swing in favor of union workers.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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