The powerful US auto union United Auto Workers (UAW) is sending its almost one million members into the election campaign to support Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (59). A UAW statement released Wednesday announced, among other things, door-to-door conversations with potential voters. It was not initially known how much money the employee representatives wanted to spend on this. However, a person familiar with the plans put the sum at several million dollars.
Crucial for the swing states
The union’s support could help Harris in the elections in the key states of Michigan – home of the UAW – as well as Ohio and Pennsylvania. According to the statement, members of the employee representatives voted for 9.2 percent of those for the then candidate and current incumbent in the 2020 presidential election in Michigan Joe Biden (81) votes cast. Michigan voters, many of whom work in the automotive industry, helped both Biden and Trump win the White House in the last two presidential elections.
Shortly after President Biden dropped out of the campaign in July, the UAW praised him and signaled support for Harris, who picketed with union members during a walkout in 2019. “Our job in this election is to Donald Trump (78) and elect Kamala Harris so she can build on her proven track record of serving the working class,” said UAW President Shawn Fain (55).
UAW filed complaint against Trump and Musk
At the beginning of the week, the US union reacted to the conversation between Donald Trump and Elon Musk (53) attracts attention. The UAW filed a federal labor complaint after the live conversation between the tech billionaire and the Republican presidential candidate. The two “disgraced billionaires” spoke out in front of over a million listeners on Monday evening (local time) for the “illegal dismissal of striking workers,” it said in a statement.
Specifically, the union was referring to Trump, who had said to Musk in the conversation: “If they go on strike, you say: That’s okay, then you’re all gone. You’re all gone. “Every one of you is gone.” The ex-president was referring to the planned dismissal in 2022 Twitter
Personals after the tech billionaire took over the social media company and renamed it “X”. Musk responded with laughter. Employee at the electric car manufacturer he runs Tesla are in the USA not unionized because, according to Forbes, the wealthiest person in the world currently thinks this is unnecessary.
In the United States, the right to strike is protected at the federal level – it is illegal to fire or intimidate workers who threaten to strike. The National Labor Relations Board will decide whether to investigate the UAW complaint. The federal authority is responsible for compliance with labor law in the USA. Should it initiate an investigation and conclude that a violation has actually occurred, penalties may be imposed.
In the USA, some unions such as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have not yet announced a candidate. In previous votes, Republican candidate Donald Trump also received support from the working class. Polls show Harris and Trump are close ahead of the vote in early November. Recently, some surveys showed a small lead for the Vice President.