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Democratic presidential hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden, as well as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, have all shown support for the 48,000 UAW workers who went on strike Sunday night due to failed contract negotiations with General Motors.
The auto workers walked off factory floors across the country on Monday, after contract negotiations failed to materialize by a deadline at midnight — resulting in 33 manufacturing plants in nine states closing, along with 22 parts distribution warehouses. It is the first national strike by the union since a two-day strike in 2007, which cost GM more than $300 million a day.
Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted a message to GM, calling for the company to “end the greed, sit down with the UAW and work out an agreement that treats your workers with the respect and the dignity they deserve.” Sanders, a longtime advocate of working-class Americans, has a goal of increasing union membership twofold should he be elected as president.
I am proud to support the @UAW workers who are standing up to the greed of GM. Our message to GM is a simple one: End the greed, sit down with the UAW and work out an agreement that treats your workers with the respect and the dignity they deserve. https://t.co/nAQoeX82oz
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 15, 2019
Senator Elizabeth Warren also followed suit: “I stand with @UAW as they strike to get what they deserve, and urge GM to come to the table and negotiate in good faith,” she tweeted.
Auto workers deserve good wages, comprehensive benefits, and economic security. I stand with @UAW as they strike to get what they deserve, and urge GM to come to the table and negotiate in good faith. https://t.co/VRmL7VzSzt
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) September 16, 2019
A tweet from former Vice President Joe Biden indicated that “America's workers deserve better.”
A job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about dignity and respect.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 15, 2019
Proud to stand with @UAW to demand fair wages and benefits for their members. America's workers deserve better. https://t.co/vdYS3sp4eo
Tlaib also tweeted support for the workers prior to the strike.
"As your Congresswoman, I will not back down until you get what you deserve to take care of your families," she tweeted Sunday. "The corporate assault on our communities is real & it won't stop w/n the halls of Congress, but on the streets, w/ us demanding it. Shut it down!"
As your Congresswoman, I will not back down until you get what you deserve to take care of your families. The corporate assault on our communities is real & it won't stop w/n the halls of Congress, but on the streets, w/ us demanding it. Shut it down! #IStandWithUAWworkers 2/2
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) September 16, 2019
Outside the Lansing Grand River plant — not far from the Capitol building — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visited the the UAW members who were picketing on Monday. A spokeswoman reportedly said Whitmer supports working peoples’ right to negotiate for better wages and working conditions, according to The Associated Press.
While GM said in a statement that it had "negotiated in good faith," the union was dissatisfied with What GM proposed in the area of health care, among other issues.
“Going into this bargaining season, our members have been very clear about what they will and will not accept from this contract,” UAW Vice President Terry Dittes said at a press conference on Sunday. “We are standing up for fair wages, we are standing up for affordable, quality health care. We are standing up for our share of the profits. We are standing up for job security for our members.”
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