President Joe Biden promised to be the “most pro-union president” in U.S. history.
But his push to transition to electric vehicles (EVs) may be costing him a union endorsement — at least for now.
United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain said in a letter seen by Reuters the union would hold off on endorsing Biden’s re-election bid due to concerns about the EV push.
“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers. The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom,” Fain wrote.
He added, “We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments.”
Fain also argued that while General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis are “making record profits,” workers are getting “left behind.”
“We’ll stand with whoever stands with our members in that fight,” he added.
His letter comes after the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule that could require up to 67% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2032, and after years of Biden’s administration pushing Americans to transition to EVs.
Fain said the union will be “ready to talk politics once we secure a future for this industry and the workers who make it run.”
“Another Donald Trump presidency would be a disaster. But our members need to see an alternative that delivers real results,” he added.
The UAW endorsed Biden ahead of the 2020 election. In a statement at the time, the union’s president said, “In these dangerous and difficult times, the country needs a president who will demonstrate clear, stable leadership, less partisan acrimony and more balance to the rights and protections of working Americans.”
The UAW will endorse Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election, a union spokesman tells @Reuters https://t.co/VwNlIwKeKY pic.twitter.com/MXehBOjtBx
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 21, 2020
Based on Fain’s statement, it does not appear Biden has to worry about the union endorsing Trump over him.
But if something happens where Trump is not the Republican presidential nominee, Biden could possibly be at risk of seeing the UAW endorse his opponent.
Either way, given the president’s slow start to his re-election campaign, a Gallup poll showing his approval rating at 37%, the NBC News poll finding Americans are not in favor of him seeking a second term, and now this news, things cannot be going the way he hoped they would.
At this point, there is plenty of time for Biden and his allies to try to stop the bleeding of support and get Democrats and union members excited about voting for him. There’s still a year and a half until the election.
But if this trend continues, Biden could be in some real trouble when the election comes around.
