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Biden's union comment shocks UAW president
President Joe Biden's comment that he thinks the UAW and the Big Three will agree on a deal and avoid striking came as a shock to the union president. There's just a few more days for a deal to be agreed upon.
(FOX 2) - The United Auto Workers Union president said he was "shocked" by comments made by the U.S. President during an appearance in Pennsylvania for Labor Day, when Joe Biden said he didn't think there would be a strike.
Shawn Fain, who has made frequent updates about negotiations between the UAW and Detroit's auto manufacturers, has been blunt when describing the offers from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.
On Monday, he told reporters that Biden "must know something we don't know" about the status of negotiations from the automakers side of things.
"Maybe the companies are planning on walking in and giving us our demands on the night before. I don't know but he's on the inside of something I don't know about," said Fain.
The way Michael Martinez of the Automotive News sees as Biden trying to downplay tensions between the two groups.
MORE: 32-hour work week, double-digit wage increases among 'ambitious list' of UAW demands for Big 3
"I think the president's really trying to project a sense of optimism right now," said Martinez, who added that it likely didn't help the state of things.
"I think it definitely hurts the process. This is an escalation of tensions that we don't really see very often between the union and the Detroit three," said Martinez. "Right now, it could go to the labor relations board, they could put in a mediator if they find the sides are actually bargaining in bad faith.
MORE: UAW rejects offer by Ford, files unfair labor practice against GM, Stellantis
"We're still a few steps away from that, but it's not good for either side."
Last week, Fain told members over a Facebook Live stream that its top brass had rejected an offer by Ford while it had filed unfair labor charges against GM and Stellantis. Before then, the UAW had overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike by the union president.