Biden has long been a union supporter
Tesla Fremont plant was UAW under Toyota ownership
The United Auto Workers have been trying to organize Tesla’s American factories almost as long as the company has been building cars. The latest deal the union has signed with the Detroit Three might be the biggest boost to those efforts yet. Now the President is on board with the efforts of the UAW to organize workers at Tesla as well as Toyota.
“Absolutely,” is how President Joe Biden answered the question when asked if he supported efforts to organize Tesla and Toyota workers. Biden then immediately stepped onto Air Force One without elaborating.
Then again, the statement was clear enough.
You can watch the full clip on, ironically, Elon Musk’s social media site X.
NEWS: Joe Biden said today he supports the UAW’s efforts to unionize workers at Tesla and Toyota. pic.twitter.com/OYECbmvfTQ
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) November 9, 2023
Another President, UAW President Shawn Fain, has been clear he wants to organize all of the U.S. automakers. “One of our biggest goals coming out of this historic contract victory is to organize like we’ve never organized before,” Fain said recently. “When we return to the bargaining table in 2028, it won’t just be with a Big Three, but with a Big Five or Big Six.”
President Biden has made his union support clear over the past months. At an event earlier this week in Illinois, the President said to UAW workers that “I want to thank you for your commitment to the solidarity, for exercising your right to bargain collectively. You made this happen.” (Via CNBC).
Tesla’s Fremont plant was formerly the NUMMI plant, a joint venture with Toyota and GM. Under that management, plant workers were UAW members.
In response to the UAW deal, Toyota gave its hourly workers their largest raise in years.
