UAW's potential strike specifically at workers at factories producing EV batteries for Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, formerly Chrysler, the"Big Three" American auto manufacturers. Many of those factories are jointly owned by battery companies and are not currently subject to union wage and benefit standards in place at traditional auto plants.UAW President Shawn Fain is calling on Biden and D.C.
Biden himself hosted Fain at the White House in July to discuss the strike. Following that meeting, a UAW spokesperson said that Fain asked Biden to show public support for the workers, though senior Biden administration officials say that the president will likely not openly discuss specific negotiating points.
UAW, unlike other labor unions, has thus far held off on endorsing Biden's reelection effort, despite giving him their blessing in 2020. Failing to secure support from one of the country's largest auto-industry unions could fracture the coalition that sent Biden, the self-billed most pro-labor president in U.S. history, to the White House three years ago.