Tag Archive for: Donald Trump

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UAW Statement on the NLRB Member Firings

President Trump’s firing of Jennifer Abruzzo and illegal firing of Gwynne Wilcox is a bad start to a Presidential administration that says it wants to stand with the American worker. The so-called “radical” policies that Abruzzo and Wilcox pursued under the National Labor Relations Act weren’t radical at all. They stood for the principle of democracy in the workplace, giving working class Americans a fair shot at standing up on the job for fair pay, healthcare, retirement, and work-life balance through a union contract.

Aside from dismissing Abruzzo, the most pro-worker NLRB general counsel in our lifetime, and illegally terminating Wilcox, a highly qualified, competent Board member who advocated for workplace rights, the Trump Administration’s actions now spike hundreds of cases before the Board, deferring or denying justice for thousands of UAW members. This move has real world consequences that harm the working class and harm UAW members everywhere.

At Mercedes, Toyota, Blue Oval SK (a Ford & SK joint venture), Webasto, Julian Electric, and more, workers have filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against their employers to hold them accountable for illegal union-busting actions taken by management. Those cases are now at risk.

From Stellantis to Columbia University, UAW members have open NLRB cases against employers who have refused to bargain in good faith. Those cases are now at risk.

We have an open Unfair Labor Practice charge at Mack Truck for their violating our UAW contract and shipping good blue-collar American jobs to exploit workers in Mexico, a goal that the Trump Administration says they champion. That case is now at risk.

These moves don’t just weaken the NLRB, a federal agency. They also weaken the working class. When workers lose their ability to seek justice when employers break the law, it means more delay on fair pay, fairness on the job, and a fair contract for tens of thousands of workers. It means fewer rights for the working class and greater impunity for corporate criminality. It means more money for the billionaires, and less for the working class. Trump says he wants to help working class America and bring jobs back with his tariffs, but without a strong NLRB, those same jobs are at risk. These moves are a stain on President Trump’s agenda for the working class.

We call on President Trump to immediately reinstate Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board and appoint a General Counsel who will hold true to the text of the National Labor Relations Act by “encouraging the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and by protecting the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self- organization, and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection.”

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UAW Blasts Reckless National Institute of Health Cuts: A Direct Attack on Jobs, Innovation, and Life-Saving Research

The Trump administration’s decision to slash NIH funding is a gut punch to scientific progress, economic growth, and the fight against deadly diseases. Cutting research on cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s isn’t “efficient”—it’s economically reckless and inhumane. These cuts will shut down promising medical breakthroughs, slam the brakes on clinical trials, destroy jobs, and gut university research programs where thousands of UAW members across the country work every day to advance life-saving discoveries.

Trump claims this will “save money,” but the truth is every NIH dollar invested in research generates two and a half times its value in economic activity. Gutting NIH funding is not savings—it’s sabotage. UAW is participating in legal efforts that have resulted in a Temporary Restraining Order issued on February 10 that blocked these cuts from going into effect. To ensure these cuts are reversed, UAW demands immediate action from Congress before they wreak havoc on the working class, scientific innovation, and the future of public health.

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UAW Statement on Tariffs and Renegotiating U.S. Trade Agreements

The UAW supports aggressive tariff action to protect American manufacturing jobs as a good first step to undoing decades of anti-worker trade policy. We do not support using factory workers as pawns in a fight over immigration or drug policy. We are willing to support the Trump Administration’s use of tariffs to stop plant closures and curb the power of corporations that pit US workers against workers in other countries. But so far, Trump’s anti-worker policy at home, including dissolving collective bargaining agreements and gutting the National Labor Relations Board, leaves American workers facing worsening wages and working conditions even while the administration takes aggressive tariff action.

If Trump is serious about bringing back good blue-collar jobs destroyed by NAFTA, the USMCA, and the WTO, he should go a step further and immediately seek to renegotiate our broken trade deals. The national emergency we face is not about drugs or immigration, but about a working class that has fallen behind for generations while corporate America exploits workers abroad and consumers at home for massive Wall Street paydays. We need to stop plant closures, bring back American jobs, and stop the global race to the bottom immediately. Any tariff action must be followed with a renegotiation of the USMCA, and a full review of the corporate trade regime that has devastated the American and global working class.

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UAW Statement on NIH Freezes

Just days after the first contract took effect covering 5,000 members of UAW 2750 at the National Institutes of Health, the Trump Administration has imposed an unprecedented set of restrictions on the nation’s premier public research institution. These include a communications blackout, canceling all meetings, a travel ban for employees, strict limitations on spending research funds, and a complete hiring freeze. UAW 2750 members are researchers who work at NIH facilities in Maryland and in other states, and their research addresses the nation’s most pressing medical and public health issues including fighting cancer, infectious disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and much more.

These freezes are already causing research at the NIH to grind to a halt. The Trump Administration is also preventing the NIH from processing research grant proposals that fund research at universities across the country. Any delays in research progress will have impacts on the country and for the American economy, and these restrictions represent a serious public health risk as the threat of avian flu and other deadly diseases continues to rise.

UAW calls on the Trump Administration, including Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Dorothy Fink, and Congress to lift these draconian restrictions immediately to ensure that scientific research in the United States, including the crucial work done by UAW members, can continue without interruption.

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A message from UAW International President Shawn Fain

UAW Family,

Last week, the American people decided to give Donald Trump another term as President of the United States. In a democracy, the four most important words are: The People Have Spoken.

And while it’s not the outcome our union advocated for, and it’s not the outcome a majority of our members voted for, our mission remains the same. We must raise the standard of living for our members and the entire working class through unity, solidarity, and working-class power. No matter who is in the White House.

Going into this election, we heard from our CAP Councils, polled our membership, and looked at the records of the two candidates, and the choice was clear. A majority of UAW members were supporting Biden, and then Harris, and a majority voted accordingly.

But for us, this was never about party or personality. As we have said consistently, both parties share blame for the one-sided class war that corporate America has waged on our union, and on working-class Americans for decades.
And we stand today where we stood last week.

We stand for bringing back American jobs.

We stand for renegotiating the broken USMCA trade deal.

We stand for taking on corporations that break their promises to American workers.

And we stand against the same things we’ve always stood against.

We will never support the destruction of the union movement.

We will never support efforts to divide and conquer the working class by nationality, race, and gender.

We will never support handouts to the ultra-wealthy or paying for it by cutting crucial federal investments.

We are unafraid to confront any politician who takes actions that harm the working class, our communities and our unions.

But the UAW will also work with any politician, regardless of party, who stands with the working class.

So, our mission now is to keep our issues on the table.

Our mission is to be loud and clear about where we stand.

Our mission is to stop plant closures and the mass exodus of jobs to low-wage, high-exploitation countries.

Our mission is to stop the race to the bottom as blue-collar jobs are liquidated in service of Wall Street paydays.

Our mission is to ensure a secure retirement, a living wage, adequate healthcare, and work-life balance for every one of our members, and every member of the working class.

Today, our members clock in to the same jobs they clocked into last week. You face the same threats – corporate greed, Wall Street predators, and a political system that ignores us. And we are driven by the same force, as outlined in our UAW Constitution generations ago: “the hope of the worker in advancing society toward the ultimate goal of social and economic justice.”

No matter how you voted, or how you’re feeling about the results, I encourage each and every one of you to get involved. Our UAW Constitution provides for a CAP rep at every plant, CAP Councils in every region, and implores every UAW member to participate in the political process.

And that process does not begin or end with the presidential election. Political action on every level of government, in every state, in every sector has an impact on every contract, every organizing drive, and every standard we win as a union. This union belongs to you, and we want you to get involved today.

 

In solidarity,
UAW President Shawn Fain
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Statement from UAW President Shawn Fain on 2024 Presidential Election

UAW members around the country clocked in today under the same threat they faced yesterday: unchecked corporate greed destroying our lives, our families, and our communities. It’s the threat of companies like Stellantis, Mack Truck, and John Deere shipping jobs overseas to boost shareholder profits. It’s the threat of corporate America telling the working class to sit down and shut up.

We’ve said all along that no matter who is in the White House, our fight remains the same. The fight to fix our broken trade laws like the USMCA continues. The fight for good union jobs and U.S. leadership in the emerging battery industry continues. The fight for a secure retirement for everyone in this country continues. The fight for a living wage, affordable health care, and time for our families continues.

It’s time for Washington, DC to put up or shut up, no matter the party, no matter the candidate. Will our government stand with the working class, or keep doing the bidding of the billionaires? That’s the question we face today. And that’s the question we’ll face tomorrow. The answer lies with us. No matter who’s in office.

If that’s the question you’re asking today, no matter who you voted for, sign up and join us at solidarity.uaw.org.

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UAW Poll Shows Member Support for Harris Growing Significantly in Battleground States as Union’s Member Engagement Program Delivers Results

Detroit, MI – New polling of UAW members and member households across key battleground states demonstrates strong support for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump, with Harris’ lead over Trump surging in the last month.

The poll, conducted among union members in key swing states—Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada—shows Harris leading Trump by 22 points. These results underscore the impact of the UAW’s most ambitious political program in decades, which has engaged 293,000 active and retired members, as well as their families, in battleground states.

The union’s comprehensive outreach program, aimed at connecting with every member, has been crucial in building support for Harris. In addition to a robust phone, text and mail program, UAW members are engaging in conversations at worksites and within their communities. In Michigan, they have participated in an intensive door-to-door campaign, reaching over 200,000 union households so far.

Among members who reported hearing from the UAW about the presidential election, Harris’ lead over Trump grows to 29 points. These numbers highlight the effectiveness of the union’s aggressive strategy to inform members about the candidates’ positions on key economic issues, including protecting overtime pay, overhauling harmful trade deals, preventing offshoring, expanding retirement security, and taking on corporate greed.

Polling data also show significant movement among key demographics. Among white UAW members without a college degree—a group that has leaned towards Trump in recent elections—Harris now holds a five-point lead.

“When members hear directly from other members about what’s at stake and which candidate will have their backs, we’re able to break through,” said UAW President Shawn Fain. “By engaging our members and highlighting the issues that matter – their paychecks, their families, and their futures — the union makes a real difference.”

Fain added, “The candidates’ track records speak for themselves. Harris has been in our corner in tough fights. Trump’s been a scab who passed NAFTA 2.0 and wants to bust unions. When you break it down like that and reach members in one-on-one conversations, the choice for president becomes clear.”

Additional Poll Findings:

  • Harris’ lead expands to 29 points among those who say they have been contacted by the union.
  • Michigan UAW members favor Harris by a 20-point margin, with 54% supporting her compared to 34% for Trump.
  • Support among non-college-educated men—a key demographic—shows a 14-point margin in favor of Harris.
  • UAW members support U.S. Senate candidate Elissa Slotkin by an 18-point margin.

The poll results make clear that the UAW’s broad engagement program is not only resonating with members but also translating into increased support for Harris in states that could determine the outcome of the election. By focusing on face-to-face communication, worksite outreach, and personalized engagement, the UAW is driving a significant shift in voter sentiment, positioning the union as a powerful electoral force. In 2020, the UAW’s membership accounted for 9.2% of Biden-Harris’ votes and 84% of their margin of victory in Michigan alone.

The UAW’s plan to win stems from the vision that launched 2023’s Stand Up strike and movement. By putting out the facts, uniting the working class, and letting members lead the way, the UAW’s “Stand Up, Speak Up, Show Up” campaign has mobilized a mass campaign to defeat corporate greed at the ballot box.

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President Fain Statement on Donald Trump’s Recent Remarks Disparaging American Autoworkers

UAW President Shawn Fain issued the following statement regarding recent comments made by Donald Trump disparaging American autoworkers:

“Donald Trump is a billionaire who’s never worked a real job in his life. He doesn’t know the first thing about hard work, and he wouldn’t last a day in an auto plant. He isn’t fit to be an autoworker, and he certainly isn’t fit to be the President. Trump doesn’t understand us, he doesn’t respect us, and he certainly doesn’t represent us. Trump doesn’t care about autoworkers. The only thing Donald Trump wants from autoworkers is a vote. Donald Trump is a scab!”

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UAW Statement on JD Vance Refusing to Commit to Investments in Michigan Auto Plants

Donald Trump was the job-killer-in-chief while in the White House. His failed United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement—or Trump’s NAFTA as we prefer to call it—has led to the mass exodus of good, blue-collar jobs from the United States.  

In sharp contrast, the Biden/Harris Administration has bet on the American worker and thanks to their policies, hundreds of thousands of good manufacturing jobs are returning to the United States.  

Now, Trump and JD Vance are invading Michigan and threatening the $500 million investment the Biden-Harris administration made in the General Motors Grand River Assembly Plant and the union jobs that investment would provide.  

The bottom line is that Donald Trump and JD Vance are a menace to the working class and are openly threatening to double down on Trump’s legacy of job destruction.  

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New UAW Political Video Calls Out Trump’s Con Job on U.S. Manufacturing

Today, the UAW released a new video as part of its 2024 political program, highlighting how NAFTA and the USMCA trade deals were a betrayal—a giveaway to corporate greed, backed by politicians from both parties, with American workers ultimately paying the price. The video draws a sharp contrast between Trump’s support for damaging free trade deals and Kamala Harris’s efforts to bring the Democratic Party back to its roots, prioritizing working-class people.

The video can be accessed here, and the media is invited to use the footage.   

Narrated by UAW President Shawn Fain, the video outlines how NAFTA and the USMCA have devastated the working class, destroying the U.S. manufacturing base and sending good-paying jobs across the border.

“For 40 years, the American working class has been under attack,” narrates UAW President Shawn Fain. “Especially blue-collar manufacturing workers … In the 1990s, they went after what remained of our good manufacturing jobs. Republicans and some Democrats, including a Democratic President, passed NAFTA … An estimated 90,000 factories closed over the next 25 years due to NAFTA and similar trade deals. And corporate America, with friends in both parties, won again.”

In 2016, a segment of autoworkers reeling from the pain of manufacturing job loss turned their votes to Trump. As the working-class continues to feel the pain of surging costs of groceries and rents, UAW members recognize Trump is not the answer. As UAW President Fain says in the video: “He had his moment as President.”

“Both parties have been influenced by corporate America. And both parties have done harm to the working class. But with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House, we’ve seen the tide starting to turn.

“Under Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party is getting back to its roots, where working class people come first. Where union members aren’t the enemy. And where corporate America doesn’t call all the shots. We need to keep that going, and we need to be loud and clear as working class people what we expect from our political leaders.”

This video is part of the UAW’s 2024 political campaign to mobilize UAW members and their families in support of endorsed, pro-worker candidates, using the same tools and tactics deployed during last year’s successful Stand Up Strike and in subsequent contract and new organizing victories in the South.

The video’s full transcript via President Shawn Fain is available below:   

For 40 years, the American working class has been under attack. Especially blue-collar manufacturing workers. In the 1980s, corporate America went on the offensive against the labor movement, with the full backing of the Republican Party. They fired thousands of blue-collar workers, closed plants, and concentrated wealth at the very top. They said the wealth would trickle down to the working class. They lied. And yet that wasn’t enough for corporate America. 

In the 1990s, they went after what remained of our good manufacturing jobs. Republicans and some Democrats, including a Democratic President, passed NAFTA. A third-party candidate at the time, Ross Perot, warned of the giant sucking sound of good jobs leaving this country. And he was right. NAFTA was wrong. 

An estimated 90,000 factories closed over the next 25 years due to NAFTA and similar trade deals. And corporate America, with friends in both parties, won again. In the 2000’s Republican George W. Bush passed massive tax breaks for the wealthy. And when the recession hit, it was the working class that felt the pain.

Democrat Barack Obama stepped in and worked to save the auto industry. But auto workers, as always, took massive sacrifices in the process. All of that pain had to go somewhere. And for a lot of working-class people, it went to voting for Donald Trump. Trump pulled the oldest con job in the book. He said, I’m not like other Republicans. I’m not like other billionaires. I’m on your side. 

Meanwhile, he did George W. Bush one better, and pulled off the biggest tax cut for the wealthy in history. Where 80% of Trump’s tax cuts went to the top 1%. He oversaw even more auto plant closures while doing nothing to help the American auto worker. He signed NAFTA 2.0, or the USMCA, which has increased the trade imbalance with Mexico and sent more good jobs out of our country.

So let me say it again. The working class is feeling a lot of pain. But Donald Trump, the billionaire, the con man, is not the answer. He had his moment as President.

Both parties have been influenced by corporate America. And both parties have done harm to the working class. But with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House, we’ve seen the tide starting to turn.

After dealing with the pandemic, over the past three and a half years under the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act, we’ve seen more manufacturing investment in this country than at any point in my lifetime. 

Under Kamala Harris the Democratic Party is getting back to its roots, where working class people come first. Where union members aren’t the enemy. And where corporate America doesn’t call all the shots. We need to keep that going, and we need to be loud and clear as working class people what we expect from our political leaders.

But we can’t get fooled or distracted by a con man like Donald Trump. That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris. That’s why our union has endorsed Kamala Harris, and that’s why our country needs Kamala Harris as our next President.

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