WASHINGTON — As the UAW strike enters its fifth day, the Biden administration is hobbled by any lack of legal authority to steer the talks and struggling to figure out UAW President Shawn Fain's negotiating strategy or getting a clear read on his leadership style, three sources said.
The Biden White House is having discussions about ways to blunt any economic fallout from an extended auto workers strike, the sources said, as U.S. officials acknowledge they have a limited role to play in talks between General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler-owner Stellantis and the union.
Top administration officials have held multiple calls with union leaders, Michigan lawmakers, company executives, suppliers, outside labor advisers and economists in the run-up to the strike to discuss aid for workers, suppliers and the local state economy, while both parties continue negotiations, one of the sources said.
The White House has started an "inter-agency process" to study the economic implications of the strike, with a focus on workers, said a fourth source familiar with the matter, who described the process as "routine."