The Battle for Michigan: Union Members Divided on Biden and Trump
Since the United Auto Workers (UAW) went on strike against the country’s top automakers on Sept. 15, the key battleground state of Michigan has become a focus for President Joe Biden and his leading Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. Last month, both visited the epicenter of the U.S. car industry to win blue-collar support for the 2024 presidential race.
The Epoch Times spoke with more than a dozen UAW members to find out who they believed was the best president to protect the rights of the working class. Although union members seem to be united in their fight for better pay and benefits, they find themselves divided on the political side.
President Biden has repeatedly called himself the “most pro-union president” in U.S. history, but Kim Fenner, a UAW member for 28 years, disagrees.
“Biden is not for the unions. He proved that, literally, in his first day in office,” she told The Epoch Times.
The president killed thousands of union jobs on his first day, she noted, by signing an executive order to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline.
Ms. Fenner works at Stellantis’s Sterling Stamping factory in Michigan, which employs 1,732 people and is the world’s largest stamping plant, according to the company’s website. Even though her plant isn’t on strike right now, she stands with autoworkers on picket lines at dozens of General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis factories, as does every UAW member.
Autoworkers haven’t received much of a raise in the past 13 years and are now feeling the pinch of rising prices, Ms. Fenner said. ”Bidenomics,” in her opinion, is failing blue-collar workers.
“In the 28 years that I’ve been with the UAW, the four years that Trump was in office were by far the best four years for my 401(k), for the working environment, and for the economy in general. I don’t know of anyone who had a bad lifestyle when Trump was in office,” Ms. Fenner said.
She also raised concerns about the aggressive rules proposed by the Biden administration in its push for a nationwide shift away from fossil fuels to electric vehicles (EVs).
“I honestly am scared to say it, but I think it’s going to kill our industry,” she said.
President Trump spoke to blue-collar workers in Detroit on Sept. 27, including dozens of current and former members of the UAW. Ms. Fenner was among those who watched the former president’s speech at Drake Enterprises, located in Clinton Township, a northern suburb of Detroit.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally event in Clinton Township, Mich., on Sept. 27, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
In his speech, President Trump told UAW members that no amount of extra pay would make a difference “because in two years, you’re all going to be out of business.”
Biden on Picket Line
A day before the former president’s speech, President Biden was also in Detroit to show solidarity with auto union members who have been on strike against the Big Three automakers. It was a “historic” move, according to the White House, as he was the first sitting president to join a picket line in modern history.
However, Ms. Fenner said she was unimpressed with President Biden’s speech and support for the union workers.
“He showed up for 12 minutes on the picket line. It was a photo op, and he only did it because he heard that Trump was coming first,” Ms. Fenner said.
On the picket line, President Biden grabbed a bullhorn, urging striking auto workers to “stick with it” and telling them that they deserved a “significant raise.”
Bill Crews, 74, was among the nearly two dozen striking UAW members who watched President Biden’s speech in front of the Willow Run parts distribution center of General Motors in Michigan.
He’s a former employee of GM and a retired member of the UAW. He left his job in 2016, but he is still active in the union, overseeing retirees.
He said he sees the president as a friend of the working class and refers to him as “Joe.”
Bill Crews speaks during an interview with The Epoch Times after President Joe Biden addressed a UAW picket line at a General Motors Service Parts Operations plant in Wayne, Mich., on Sept. 26, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
“It was a great day to have Joe here on the picket line. Like he always has been. He comes to picket lines. He’s a union guy,” he told The Epoch Times. “Joe tries to strike a balance between management, labor, business, and consumers. That’s what we need.”
Mr. Crews didn’t share the same enthusiasm for President Trump’s visit to Detroit.
“He’s a billionaire. He’s never supported labor,” Mr. Crews said.
Nikola Gjonaj, a UAW member picketing at the Stellantis Mopar factory in Center Line, Michigan, said that President Trump has always used the UAW and the working class as “pawns.”
“We’re not even following the politics,” Mr. Gjonaj told The Epoch Times.
“All we want is to go back to work and make a fair living wage,” he said, noting that workers at the Mopar facility didn’t get a raise for 12 years.
He said that most UAW members, including himself, back Democrats. But he also said he thinks President Biden’s picket-line speech could have been much better.
“We wanted him to come out here and say, ‘Hey, we got the full power of the White House behind you.’ We didn’t get that. ‘Oh, you guys should make more money.’ That’s it. That’s all you say?”
Nikola Gjonaj, a UAW member, speaks during an interview with The Epoch Times at the Stellantis Mopar factory in Center Line, Mich., on Sept. 27, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
EVs Worry Union Members
Although Mr. Gjonaj said he doesn’t support the former president, he agrees that there is cause for alarm over the EV transition push.
“Trump was right about one thing. All the cars might be made in China. And we don’t want the jobs to leave here,” Mr. Gjonaj said. “If you turn everything to EV, 30 percent of these people are gone.”
The UAW, which has historically supported Democrats and endorsed President Biden in 2020, has so far withheld its endorsement for the 2024 presidential election, citing concerns about a forced EV transition, which is estimated to cut the jobs of thousands of traditional auto workers.
Isaiah Goddard, a UAW member who works at Ford Motor Co.’s Rawsonville Components Plant in Michigan, said that a total switch to electric vehicles isn’t a good idea. He was one of the auto union members who attended the former president’s rally in Michigan on Sept. 27.
However, Mr. Goddard, a third-generation autoworker, said he faced a lot of “backlash” from his family and co-workers for attending the rally. Even so, he said he believes that President Trump is the best candidate to protect union jobs.
“I believe in Donald Trump. I believe him. I think he’s a smart businessman,” he told The Epoch Times.
“If we reelect President Trump, he is going to make amazing deals, keep our auto industry booming, and keep union jobs, and I believe he’s our best shot at that.”
A union member, Isaiah Goddard, waves a banner while waiting for former President Donald Trump to speak at a campaign rally event in Clinton Township, Mich., on Sept. 27, 2023. (Courtesy of Isaiah Goddard)
Mr. Goddard also praised the 45th president for repealing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was replaced by the USMCA. He said that NAFTA was responsible for the loss of U.S. jobs.
He said the UAW should endorse the former president instead of President Biden.
“It wouldn’t necessarily be such a bad thing if our UAW president met with Donald Trump, talked to him, and tried to endorse him,” Mr. Goddard said.
Patrick Smalley, who has worked at Ford Motor Company for 35 years, said he has similar concerns about the EV push.
“It’s not affecting my job now, but what I’m concerned about is that it could possibly cut jobs. And I don’t like seeing anyone lose their jobs,” he told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Smalley has been on strike since Sept. 15 at the Ford plant in Wayne, Michigan, where he worked as a quality inspector.
Even though President Biden didn’t show up at the Ford picket line, Mr. Smalley said he thinks the president’s joining other UAW members at the GM facility is important.
“He could be doing so many other things. But he’s here and supporting us, which is a wonderful thing.”
Patrick Smalley, a Ford Motor employee, strikes outside of Ford’s Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., on Sept 26, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
But Justin Green, another striking Ford worker, said he wasn’t overly excited about President Biden’s visit because he has been disappointed with the administration’s track record.
“I feel that Biden hasn’t shown an immense track record of supporting the union,” Mr. Green told The Epoch Times. “We would like to see him support us a good bit more before we do actually endorse him.”
Joshua Philipp and Andrew Moran contributed to this report.
What impact did President Biden’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline have on union jobs and how do union members view this decision?
The ongoing battle for Michigan and the divided opinions of union members on President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have brought to light the complexities of the relationship between the working class and the political landscape.
Michigan, being a key battleground state, has garnered significant attention from both President Biden and former President Trump. They have made efforts to win the support of blue-collar workers and secure their backing for the upcoming presidential race in 2024. Last month, both visited Michigan, the epicenter of the U.S. car industry, in an attempt to gain the favor of union members.
To gain a better understanding of the sentiments of union members, The Epoch Times interviewed more than a dozen United Auto Workers (UAW) members. Despite their shared fight for improved pay and benefits, union members find themselves divided when it comes to their political preferences.
President Biden has often referred to himself as the “most pro-union president” in the history of the United States. However, Kim Fenner, a UAW member of 28 years, disagrees with this claim. She criticizes President Biden for his actions on his first day in office when he signed an executive order to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, resulting in the loss of thousands of union jobs. According to Ms. Fenner, this move demonstrated that President Biden is not truly supportive of unions.
Ms. Fenner works at Stellantis’s Sterling Stamping factory in Michigan, which is the world’s largest stamping plant and employs 1,732 people. Even though her plant is not currently on strike, she stands in solidarity with autoworkers on picket lines at various General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis factories, just like all UAW members.
According to Ms. Fenner, autoworkers have faced stagnant wages for the past 13 years and are now feeling the impact of rising prices. She believes that the economic policies of the Biden administration, referred to as “Bidenomics,” are failing blue-collar workers. In contrast, she praises the Trump administration, stating that the four years under President Trump were the best for her 401(k), the working environment, and the overall economy. She claims that nobody she knows had a bad lifestyle during Trump’s presidency.
Another concern raised by Ms. Fenner is the Biden administration’s aggressive push for a nationwide shift from fossil fuels to electric vehicles (EVs). She expresses fear that this move will ultimately kill the industry she works in.
Former President Trump addressed blue-collar workers in Detroit on September 27, where he spoke to both current and former UAW members. Ms. Fenner was among those who listened to his speech at Drake Enterprises in Clinton Township, a northern suburb of Detroit. During this speech, former President Trump suggested that no amount of increased pay would matter because the auto industry would be out of business within two years.
On the other hand, President Biden made a historic move a day before former President Trump’s speech. He showed solidarity with the striking auto union members by joining them on the picket line, making him the first sitting president in modern history to do so.
The battle for Michigan and the divided opinions among UAW members highlight the complexity of the relationship between unions and their political affiliations. While union members are united in their fight for better pay and benefits, their political preferences differ. President Biden’s claims of being pro-union are challenged by union members like Ms. Fenner, who believe that the Trump administration was more beneficial to the working class, both economically and in terms of job opportunities. The shift toward EVs proposed by the Biden administration also
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