In the United States, the labor struggle in the auto industry in Michigan is taking center stage in the presidential election campaign.
In the United States, the United Auto Workers (UAW) trade union started a simultaneous strike on September 15 against all three major car manufacturers in the country, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which manufactures Chrysler, among others.
Ford saved from additional strikes last Friday, because the company met some of the union’s demands in negotiations during the past week.
After the industrial action has been expanded, more than 18,000 workers are now participating in the strike.
President of the United States Joe Biden will travel to Michigan today to support the auto workers’ strike.
Also the top candidate for next year’s presidential election Donald Trump plans to fly to Michigan on Wednesday to support labor struggles.
“It’s about the struggle of party identities”
Biden’s and Trump’s interest in traveling to Michigan speaks of the struggle of party identities, comments a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Turku to Ylele Pekka Kolehmainen.
Traditionally, the Democrats have championed the cause of the workers, and the automotive industry is thought of as a workers’ industry.
– The sitting president going on the spot is a big, historic step, Kolehmainen points out.
According to Kolehminen, Biden is now actively making himself the president of the working class.
– In recent decades, even the Republicans have tried to be on the basic Duna issue. Now we are fighting over which party is better at supporting the working population, says Kolehmainen.
Salary increases as a requirement
In the United States, the automotive industry employs nearly a million people.
The workers are demanding 36 percent wage increases over four years, while until now the car manufacturers have agreed to a maximum of 20 percent increases.
The industry’s average earnings have decreased by 19 percent from the year before the financial crisis in 2008.
The strike could last for weeks
There is a lot at stake in the strike and thus it can be prolonged.
According to Pekka Kolehmainen, it is interesting how the policy related to strikes and unions is developing in the United States. Labor struggles have traditionally been viewed negatively in the country.
– The change can be big, depending largely on the sitting president’s attitude towards labor policy and this strike.
By staggered strikes, the UAW’s $825 million strike fund could last for about two months, estimates the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC.
If all workers went on strike, a third of US auto production would stop.
In the United States, it is believed that a prolonged industrial action could lead to an increase in the prices of cars and spare parts.
In 2019, a strike involving almost 50,000 workers at General Motors lasted six weeks.
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