'Folks, stick with it.' Biden joins picket line with striking UAW workers in historic visit

BELLEVILLE, Mich. – President Joe Biden walked the picket line with the United Auto Workers outside Detroit, telling them to "stick with it," in a historic visit Tuesday 12 days into the union's strike against the nation's three largest automakers.

Biden, visiting a General Motor redistribution center, said workers deserve more of a share of the profits from Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis. It marked the first time a sitting president has joined a picket line of workers on strike in the middle of a labor dispute.

“Folks, stick with it because you deserve the significant raise you need and other benefits," Biden, wearing a black UAW hat, said through a bullhorn as workers cheered. "Let's get back what we lost, OK? If we can save them, then it's about time for them to step up for us."

The visit followed a public invitation from UAW President Shawn Fain to Biden last Friday, as UAW expanded its strike to 38 sites across 20 states. Fain greeted Biden at the Detroit airport and rode with Biden in the president's limousine to greet striking autoworkers.

"Our president chose to stand up with workers in our fight for economic and social justice," Fain said, thanking Biden. "It’s a historic day, a historic moment in time.”

'You should be doing incredibly well, too,' Biden tells UAW

Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, is set to hold a rally at an automotive supplier facility in Clinton Township, Mich. on Wednesday night in an appeal to working-class voters. Trump announced his Michigan visit before Biden announced his trip.

On an overcast day, Biden arrived at the Willow Run Redistribution Center as members of UAW Local 174, clad in red shirts, marched in a circle while holding UAW signs and chanting in unison.

“What do we want?” they yelled. “Contracts now!”

In his brief remarks, Biden told striking autoworkers that it's time for them to be compensated for financial hardships they endured during the 2008 auto bailout under President Barack Obama.

"The truth of the matter is you guys, UAW, you saved the automobile industry back in 2008 and before. You made a lot of sacrifices and gave up a lot. And the companies were in trouble. Now they're doing incredibly well. And you should be doing incredibly well, too," Biden said.

Biden later shook hands and gave fist bumps to the UAW workers before leaving.

The UAW wants 40% pay raises over four years for autoworkers, a four-day work week, the elimination of a multi-tiered wage system and the restoration of a pension plan. Fain has touted some progress with Ford but said General Motors and Stellantis "need some pushing."

Fain addressed his members as Biden stood watching with his arm around the shoulder of one of the strikers. Fain noted the history of the Willow Run Redistribution Center, which stores and ships auto parts and built B-24 Liberators in World War II.

“Today, the enemy isn’t some foreign country miles away," Fain said. "It’s right here in our own area. It’s corporate greed.”

White House says Biden still staying out of contract negotiations

Despite Biden's support of UAW, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would not commit to endorsing UAW's preferred terms, but said Biden wants the parties to negotiate "a record UAW contract." Biden has stayed out of negotiations between the union and auto companies, and even with his appearance on the picket line, the White House says that remains the case.

When a reporter Tuesday asked Biden whether he supports 40% raises for UAW workers, Biden responded: "Yes, I think they should be able to bargain for that."

Biden has decades of close ties with organized labor and has said he wants to be known as the "most pro-union president" in U.S history. But the trip carries political risk as Biden looks to avoid national economic repercussions that could result from a prolonged strike.

"It's unprecedented. This has never happened before," said Erik Loomis, a labor historian at the University of Rhode Island. "For all of the history between the Democrats and unions, FDR certainly wasn't going to show up on a picket line. Harry Truman wasn't going to. JFK wasn't going to."

Biden faced pressure to join UAW at the picket line after several progressive lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-D-N.Y.; and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, joined UAW at striking sites in recent days.

“You've heard me say it many times, Wall Street didn't build the country," Biden said. "The middle class built the country. Unions built the middle class. That's a fact. So let's keep going. You deserve what you've earned, and you've earned a hell of a lot more than you're getting paid now.”

GM, in a statement on Biden's visit, said the company's focus "is not on politics but continues to be on bargaining in good faith with the UAW leadership to reach an agreement as quickly as possible." The statement said GM has presented "five record economic proposals" that address wage increases and job security.

Similarly, Stellantis defended the company's contract offer but did not criticize Biden for joining workers on the picket line. Stellantis has agreed to a 21.4% compounded wage increase, $1 billion in retirement security benefits and an inflation protection measure.

"On the first day of the strike, President Biden said UAW workers 'deserve a contract that sustains them and the middle class.' We agree and presented a record offer," the company said.

Trump, who has criticized Biden's support of electric vehicles, issued a statement that said the president's "draconian and indefensible Electric Vehicle mandate will annihilate the U.S. auto industry and cost countless thousands of autoworkers their jobs."

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly known as Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Biden walks UAW picket line in Michigan in historic visit