UAW endorses Biden's reelection bid for president

WASHINGTON — The UAW on Wednesday said it was endorsing President Joe Biden in his bid for a second term in the 2024 election, a boost for the Democratic incumbent who styles himself as the "most pro-union" president in history as he tries to maintain support of working class voters.

“This November, we can stand up and elect someone who stands with us and supports our cause, or we can elect someone who will divide us and fight us every step of the way,” UAW President Shawn Fain told a crowd of applauding members. “That's what this choice is about. The question is: Who do we want in that office to give us the best shot at winning?”

The much anticipated endorsement comes two days after Fain criticized former President Donald Trump but said union leadership had not yet made the decision to endorse Biden.

"Everything we do is up to the boardroom. ... When we decide to make a decision, we'll make the announcement," Fain told Automotive News on the sidelines of the UAW Community Action Program conference, held this week in the nation's capital.

Last year — ahead of a strike against the Detroit 3 that resulted in major victories for union workers — Fain said the UAW would withhold its endorsement of Biden's 2024 candidacy until concerns were addressed over the auto industry's transition to electric vehicles.

While the UAW has traditionally endorsed Democrats, Fain had created some mystery to the union's decision, saying repeatedly since last year that endorsements must be earned, not freely given. He has said the union would back politicians who demonstrated support for its priorities.

The endorsement arrives at an opportune moment for Biden as he prepares for a potential rematch with Trump, the front-runner to receive the Republican presidential nomination.

Having the support of auto workers could play a big role in key battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, both of which voted for Trump in 2016 but narrowly supported Biden in 2020.

In September, Biden became the first sitting U.S. president in modern history to join a picket line when he stood with striking workers at a GM parts depot — an extraordinary show of support for the union's demands for higher wages, better benefits and job security amid an industry shift toward EVs.

However, Biden's focus on fighting climate change — supported in part by efforts to reduce vehicle emissions and jump-start the U.S. EV market — has at times collided with his labor-friendly agenda.

The UAW has cautioned the administration against moving too fast on EVs because of the potential impact to union jobs. The union has been calling for a "just transition" with strong labor standards and high pay for workers, especially those who are building EVs and batteries.

"There's a lot at stake, and what's at stake is not having good-paying — high-paying — union jobs, not having good contracts," UAW Region 1A Director Laura Dickerson told members Tuesday, ahead of the union's presidential endorsement.

"We're not going to protect ourselves by ignoring what's happening," she said of the auto industry's transition. "We protect ourselves by leading and making sure our voices are heard."

While the UAW's endorsement will be a victory for Biden's reelection campaign, it's unclear how much the support from top leaders will translate to votes from the rank and file.

The UAW said more than a quarter of its members voted for Trump in the 2016 election. It's unclear how many voted for Biden in 2020, although the president ran on a platform touting his support for blue-collar workers and unions.

Some associated with the union have sharply criticized the president's stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Ben Dictor, a New York labor attorney and legal counsel for the UAW, tweeted this month that he believes "this election is lost" and that Biden is "rolling out the red carpet for Trump" after failing to support a cease-fire.

"The administration's reprehensible conduct and policies over these past few months have undone any good that his administration could have been credited with," Dictor tweeted separately. "His legacy will be genocide and war. It didn't have to be."

UAW member Niki Thomas said there's a "large cohort" of members who will continue to press Biden for a Gaza cease-fire. Thomas said she is not willing to vote for Biden without it.

"We're going to work throughout the year before the election to communicate with our members to get us all on the same page to see if we can leverage our union power to make it happen," she said in an interview before the union's endorsement.

Stellantis employee Benjamin Fraser, a member of UAW Local 51 in Detroit, said he was "very enthusiastic" about the union's likely support of the president.

"I've honestly never seen a president get so much done with so little capital," he told Automotive News ahead of the endorsement. "He's doing everything that he can with what he has."

"As far as the cease-fire issue is concerned," Fraser added, I don't think it's the UAW's spot."

Trump has urged the UAW to endorse him for the 2024 election. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the UAW's endorsement.

Speaking from a nonunion auto supplier in Michigan last fall — a day after Biden joined the GM picket line — Trump said Biden's EV push would "spell the death of the U.S. auto industry."

However, the UAW has not been supportive of Trump, arguing the former president is unfriendly to labor.

"All you've got to do is look at Trump's track record with labor in general and who he is as a person," Fain told reporters Monday. "It's pretty evident where he stands, and it's pretty much contrary to everything we stand for."

Michael Martinez contributed to this report.