President Joe Biden on Monday urged the United Auto Workers and Detroit’s Big Three automakers to forge a deal, a month before the union’s worker contracts expire.
“As the Big Three auto companies and the United Auto Workers come together — one month before the expiration of their contract — to negotiate a new agreement, I want to be clear about where I stand. I’m asking all sides to work together to forge a fair agreement,” the president said in a statement.
The UAW represents 146,000 workers at Ford
F,
General Motors
GM,
and Stellantis
STLA,
The union has asked the big Detroit auto makers to raise factory workers’ pay by 40% for a new four-year labor contract.
The UAW has so far refused to endorse Biden’s reelection bid. In his statement, the president said he supports a “fair” transition to a clean-energy economy and that the shift “should provide a win‑win opportunity for auto companies and unionized workers.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about the administration’s concern about possible work stoppages related to the talks, said that Biden “believes in collective bargaining. That’s what he continues to encourage.”
Victor Reklaitis contributed to this article.
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